Graveyard Shift, Part 1
by bee87
Summary: What happens when Bella is brought in to Edward's ER. Twilight Characters in an ER universe. AH/AU/OOC Lemons. Part 1 of a 2 part story. WARNING if you don't wish to invest your time in reading a story that doesn't have a HEA do not read this story
1. Rescue Me

**A/N Obviously Nothing related to Twilight belongs to me - I Wish!**

Graveyard Shift.

Chapter 1.

**EPOV**

My attending hates me I thought as I ran my hand through my unruly hair. I was on my third straight week of night shifts! To make matters worse it was a full moon. The loony's always come out when there is a full moon.

It was just past eleven and my shift had been pretty decent so far. All I had dealt with were some broken bones and a couple of lacerations. We hadn't had any major traumas since I came in at seven. It was what I liked to call the calm before the storm. The bars had just let out. People were getting in their cars and it wouldn't be long before they would be causing accidents.

A rig pulled up outside. I went out to meet the paramedics. I pulled on the door as the paramedic rolled the patient out. "What have we got?" I asked.

"22 year old Female, GSW to the chest, BP 100/60, tachy at 115, GCS 10" she spouted off wheeling the gurney into the ER.

"I want the full works people. CBC, Chem Panel, ABG, Type and cross match, UA, BUN & Creatinine. Thanks Alice" I said as she left the trauma room. "Rosalie, can you page surgery for a consult?"

"Surgery's on their way down." She said whilst moving back to the patient to place an IV. Once the medication had coursed it's way through the girls body she began to stabilize.

"Someone call for Surgery?" said Emmett as he breezed into the Trauma room.

"Yeah. I've got a 22 year old patient with a GSW to the chest. She's stabilized for the moment, but I think she could do with a trip to the OR." I smiled looking over to Emmett.

"I agree with your assessment Dr. Cullen. Lets get her up to the OR and see if we can't get that bullet out." With that the girl was wheeled out of the ER and on her way to have surgery to remove the bullet. My job here was done.

**BPOV**

What the hell happened? Why was I laying on the ground? Why did it feel wet underneath my back? That's when I felt the pain in my chest. It felt as if someone had torn my chest open.

"Someone call 911" I heard a lady scream. "Sweetie, you're going to be okay. An ambulance is on it's way. You just hold on." The woman was now sat kneeling beside me speaking in a soothing manner. The ambulance was for me I realised.

Before long I heard the familiar sound of sirens coming down the street. "Paramedics. Let us through." A small, perky voice shouted. "M'am can you hear me?" She asked.

As I rolled my eyes open I saw a short, pixie like woman with short, dark hair crouching by my side. "Yes" I replied groggily. It seemed impossibly difficult for me to function at the moment. "Do you remember what happened?" she added.

"Umm…no" I replied as I struggled to remain conscious. Luckily for me the woman who had attended to me was able to explain what I could not. "Someone shot her."

Someone shot me! It made sense now. The pain in my chest, the wet feeling under my back. I was bleeding from a gun shot wound. That's when everything went black.

**A/N This is my first fan fiction so I would be grateful for any advice you could give me. Please let me know if you feel that the medical jargon is a bit much. Thanks**


	2. Can't Stop Thinking About You

**A/N I don't own any of Twilight. **

**Sorry that I can't update any quicker but I work full time and am revising for an exam. This chapter is a little longer hope you like it. Thankyou for the reviews.**

Chapter 2.

**EPOV**

"Did that seriously just happen?" I asked Rosalie. Still unable to comprehend what I had just seen.

"I told you not to leave him alone" she replied tersely.

"You can understand why I didn't listen though. I thought you were joking when you said that he was a vampire. I can't believe he was sitting there drinking human blood! Where did he get hold of that blood bag anyways?"

"Hell if I know. All I know is that guy has issues. It's gross, is what it is." She replied with a disgusted look. I better get back to work, patients to attend to. You know, the usual." She walked away leaving me standing at admit.

I turned around to the clerk sitting there "Tanya, is it? I asked reading her name off of her badge. Can you ring surgery and ask for an ETA on the GSW victim?"

I was getting way too involved in this patient's case. I didn't normally follow up on patients after they had been transferred.

"Yes Dr. Cullen. I'll get right on that." Tanya smiled sweetly, whilst flicking her hair. Bringing me back from my thoughts. "They say, it should be about another two hours." She said putting the phone down.

"Ok, Thanks." I replied with a small smile as I picked up the next chart.

"Hello…" I quickly glanced down at my chart. "Miss Redrup." I finished. "So you've got severe abdominal pain and a temperature." I read from the triage nurses notes.

"Yes" she said softly.

"How long would you say you've been experiencing this pain?"

"About six hours" she replied.

I began applying pressure with my hands on her stomach "Let me know when you feel any pain" I said with what I hoped was a look of compassion on my face.

"Ouch" she winced as I reached the lower, right side of her abdomen.

"Ok Miss Redrup. I think you have a case of acute appendicitis. I'm going to get you a surgical consult. You're probably going to need an appendectomy. I'll be back soon." With that I walked away.

…….

"Edward, I'm taking your appy up" Emmett shouted from down the hall.

"Emmett, wait up." I said rushing down the hall, catching him just before he reached the elevator. "Is the GSW victim out of surgery yet?" I asked.

"Yeah. We closed about half an hour ago. She's in post op recovery" he said.

"Ok. Thanks. You're in good hands Miss Redrup." I called out as Emmett wheeled the gurney into the elevator.

My shift had come to an end. I knew I should be going home to get some sleep. I would be back on in twelve hours. Yet here I was on my way up to the surgical floor. As I walked out of the elevator I heard my name being called.

"Edward. What are you still doing here? I thought you were off" Emmett asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Umm. Yeah, I am. I just thought I would come up and check on our Jane Doe" I replied nervously. I shouldn't be doing this. I was already too involved in this patient's case.

"Oh; okay. Do you know when you're getting off nights? He asked.

"No clue" I replied with an exasperated sigh.

Emmett and I said goodbye before I walked over to her bed. I sat down on a chair and watched her sleep. Wow, she's really beautiful. In a very different way than anyone else. Her pale face was perfectly framed by her dark brown, wavy hair.

I must have spent the next couple of hours sat reading. Every couple of minutes I couldn't help but cast my eye over towards her. I found myself wondering what's her name? What does she do? Is she single?

"Argh" her soft voice said groggily.

"Here. Press this button." I said handing her the control for the PCA machine she was hooked up to.

"Thanks" she said fluttering her eyelids. She was waking up. That was my cue to leave. I didn't want to freak her out.

As I walked out of the ward I ran into Carlisle. "Ah, Edward just the person I was looking for. I have something important to discuss with you. Can you come to my office."

"Dad, my shift was over a couple of hours ago. I really need to get home and get some sleep." I groaned.

"I think I can fit you in now" He said glancing at his watch.

"Great" I mumbled sarcastically.

"Take a seat" he said gesturing to the chair across from his desk. He took a seat on the other side of his desk. He spoke softly "As of now you are no longer on graveyard shifts."

"What" I smiled.

"I had a word with Mike. Being on nights for three weeks straight isn't healthy Edward" he said sternly. "What did you do to piss him off this time?" He asked looking me straight in the eye.

"Hell if I know." I replied quirking my eyebrows.

"This isn't a joke Edward. If you want to be an attending down in the ER next year, you're going to have to start getting along with your bosses."

"I know. Thanks for getting me off nights." Sometimes it was an advantage to have a Dad who was Chief of Staff at the hospital.

"You're welcome. You've got three days off before you start on days again."

I began walking out of the door. "Oh, and Edward."

Geez, was he ever gonna let me go and get some shut eye. "Yeah" I turned to face him.

"Your mother is cooking a family dinner for us tonight. Alice is coming over and I would appreciate an appearance from you."

"I'll try." Great now I had to go to some stupid dinner.

……………

Finally I had gotten back to my apartment. I was more than ready to go too sleep. As I slowly began to drift off I dreamt of the mystery girl from the hospital. I dreamed we were happily married with two children. I woke with a start. What is wrong with me? I only just met this girl today - not that I've really met her, I don't even know her name. I shouldn't be dreaming about being married to her. What was it about this girl that had got me going crazy?

**A/N Once again if you have any suggestions or constructive criticism please review. BPOV will be next chapter.**


	3. Running Away

**A/N Okay guys so this is a little angsty. It starts off with back story (Italic font) but ends up in the present.**

Chapter 3.

**BPOV**

_"I'm leaving you" I screamed. I was better than this. I didn't have to put up with his abuse anymore. A plate went crashing into the wall, only just missing me._

_"Sorry Baby. I'll be good I promise. I will go to anger management classes" he pleaded planting kisses on the back of my neck. His strong arms were wrapped around my waist._

_"I've heard it all before" I sobbed trying to get away from his grip. I was failing miserably. I hadn't realised how hard this was going to be. I did love the guy but deep down I knew this wasn't a healthy relationship. He crushed his lips to my mouth and I began kissing him back. "No" I said breaking the kiss and pushing him away._

_He slapped me across the face with the back of his hand. The slap had so much force behind it that I went flying into the door. "Leave then. But know this, you may be able to run but you can't hide. I will find you" he shouted threateningly._

_I ran out of the apartment, almost tripping as I ran down the two flights of stairs. Tears were streaming down my face as I got into my truck and drove to my Dad's house._

_I pulled into the driveway and had a quick look in the rear view mirror to check the damage. My eyes were red and puffy due to the crying. My right eye was looking a little swollen from hitting the door. I opened the glove compartment and fished around bringing out the pair of sunglasses I was looking for. I put them on before opening the car door._

_Dad must have heard me pull up, he was already at the door. " Hi Dad" I said giving him a quick peck on the cheek as I entered the house._

_"What did he do this time?" he fumed._

_" I don't know what you're talking about?" I replied innocently._

_"Come off it Bella. I'm not stupid. You're wearing sunglasses when it's raining. You're trying to hide something from me." Damn. This was another reason I was leaving Forks. It constantly rained here. I sheepishly removed my glasses, hoping that my eye didn't look too bad._

_"He hit you again, didn't he?" he said sternly whilst opening the freezer and removing some ice. He wrapped the ice in a towel before placing it against my face._

_"Ahh" I winced as the pressure made my face sting._

_"I don't get why you won't press charges against him." This was the Sheriff in him talking._

_"It wasn't his fault this time Dad. I ran into the door. You know what a klutz I can be" I faked a smile._

_"Uh huh. I've heard that before" he looked at me with a disapproving eye._

_"Anyway. I'm leaving Forks tomorrow. I'm moving to Chicago to start a new life." I already felt a sense of hope. I was getting out of this small town and away from my horrible life._

_"You shouldn't have to leave your friends and family. Wait till I get my hands on that son of a bitch." He smashed his fist down on the table._

_"Dad. You promised." I pleaded with him._

_"I know, I know. I just hate the way he treats you."_

_"I know. You don't have to worry about that anymore though. Okay?" I said softly._

_"Okay" he said with defeat. "Is there anything you need me to do?" he added._

_"No. I've booked a cab to the airport tomorrow. When I get to Chicago Angela's picking me up. I'm going to be living with her for the moment." Angela was my best friend. She was the one who had finally gotten me to wake up. She made me realise that I needed to get away. She had been more than happy to help me out._

_"I've got to go. I'm on graveyard this week. Do me a favour, call when you get to Chicago. I love you Bells." He planted a soft kiss on my forehead before picking up his keys and walking out the door._

_At seven am my cell began playing Best of You by the Foo Fighters. I sleepily grabbed it off of the nightstand, flicked it open and disabled the alarm. I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I walked to the bathroom and spent half an hour under the shower waking up. I quickly brushed my teeth before walking down to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast._

_I had already sent most of my clothes and stuff to Angela's place in Chicago. It didn't take me long to pack what was left. It was just a few day to day essentials. I would be able to save time at O'Hare by not having to wait for any luggage. Everything I was taking with me fit nicely into a case that could be taken on as hand luggage._

_That's when I heard the horn of the cab outside. I quickly picked up my bag and scribbled out a quick note to Dad. In it I thanked him for all the help that he had given me. Especially these past two months, I know they had been hard on him as well. I balanced the note against the fruit bowl on the dining table. I knew it was somewhere that he would see it. Then I ran out of the house, pausing briefly to take one last look at my childhood home._

_As we drove through Forks I began reminiscing about my childhood. How much easier life had been back then. We drove past my high school where I had fallen in love with him. He was my best friend and I never dreamed that he could ever hurt me. Unfortunately a few months ago he had begun to drink heavily. That's when he started hurting me. At first he was just verbally abusive, but it had soon escalated to violence. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I forced myself to stop thinking about him as I rubbed the tear away with my thumb._

_……._

_I had just landed at O'Hare airport in Chicago. As I walked off the plane it was as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It didn't take long before I reached arrivals and began scanning the crowd for Angela. There were a lot of people here, I hoped that I hadn't missed her. I flinched as someone patted me on the back. "Bella, it's me Angela." As I spun around she engulfed me in a big hug. That was all it took for me to begin sobbing like a little girl. Angela took me aside to a quieter part of the airport and got us both some coffee. We must have sat there for an hour. Most of the time was spent in silence. She was just there for me and when I finally began to speak she sat listening to me, providing me with comfort when I needed it._

_Soon after we were in her car, driving to her place. It began to feel like old times again. It wasn't long before I found myself smiling and giggling. It felt good to laugh again, I hadn't done it in such a long time._

_Twenty minutes later we arrived at her apartment. "Wow. This place is huge" I said wide eyed. I knew that she had a job that paid well but, I didn't expect this. She had two bedrooms. I was expecting to be spending the next couple of months sleeping on a futon!_

_"Do you want me to show you your room?" She asked with a look that I knew all to well. It was a look I had seen more times than I had cared too. It was the look she had when she had planned some sort of surprise for me. "Angela, I have told you repeatedly that I don't like surprises" I moaned._

_"Bella, I don't know what you're going on about. I just want to show you where you're going to be sleeping" She was trying really hard to suppress her laughter but not doing a very good job._

_As I walked into the room I noticed that it was as if I had already moved in. My photo of Mom and Dad was sitting on the nightstand with one of my favourite books laying in front of it. Various photos from high school were dotted around the walls. The bed was all made up with my favourite childhood teddy bear sitting on the pillow. I sat down on the bed picking up the old tatty thing, giving it a quick squeeze before getting back up. "You're the best friend a girl could ask for" I said hugging Angela._

_………_

_I had been in Chicago for a month now. Living with Angela was brilliant. Whenever she was at home and not at her boyfriend's we would talk for hours whilst watching chick flicks. We had also consumed more than enough Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream to last us for the rest of our lives. Angela said that I was looking better everyday. I believe her exact words were "You look more full of life now" or something along those lines. I can only imagine how much of a zombie I looked like when I first arrived here._

_I had asked Dad to wire a couple of hundred dollars to me. I still hadn't found a job. I felt as if I were taking advantage of Angela's generosity. I was on the way to the shop to get some milk when I heard his voice._

_"Hello Isabella. Didn't I tell you that I would find you" he snarled._

_I stopped dead in my tracks frozen in fear. When I regained some use back in my legs I slowly turned to face him. "J…J….Jacob. H…How did you find me?" I stammered. The fear was evident in my voice and I began to cry when I saw him laughing. I could just make out that he had something in his hand, pointing directly at me. There was a loud bang and then I hit the floor._

……

"Argh" I said groggily. My chest really hurt.

"Here. Press this button." a velvety, smooth voice said passing me some sort of control.

I pressed the button and started to feel some relief. Whoa. I also started to feel a little light headed. I slowly opened my eyes and looked to where the voice had come from. Sitting there was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. He was wearing dark blue jeans, with a tight, white t-shirt that accentuated his perfect abs. He had bronze-coloured, slightly dishevelled hair. His eyes were, well they were the most intense green eyes I had seen in my life. I would say his eyes were definitely his best feature. If I kept staring I would lose myself in them. I closed my eyes for what felt like a few seconds and when I looked back he was gone. Wow, whatever painkillers I was on were doing a real number on me. Had I been hallucinating? A few moments later I felt myself being pulled back into a deep slumber.

**A/N Thanks again to those of you who have reviewed. Hope you liked this chapter. Next chapter will either be all EPOV or will have both POV's not sure yet. If you have any suggestions let me know. Thanks : )**


	4. Mother, We just can't get enough

**A/N once again I don't own any of Twilight. Thanks for all the reviews. So this ended up just being EPOV. Enjoy**

Chapter 4.

**EPOV**

I had set my alarm to go off at two in the afternoon. It meant that I had only gotten four hours sleep. I was shattered but if I didn't get up now I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. The crazy shift patterns had always been the hardest part of the job for me.

After showering I walked into the kitchen to inspect the contents of my fridge. It was pretty empty. I finally managed to find a box of eggs hidden behind some mouldy cheese and a bottle of milk that had turned an ugly shade of green. I really needed to make a trip to the local store!

Once I had thrown out everything left in my fridge I began to cook myself eggs on toast. It's the best I could do with the limited resources I had. I wasn't too concerned however, as I had the family dinner tonight. Mom always cooked a roast when I came round as she knew it was my favourite.

I moved into my living room balancing my plate in my hand. After settling down on my couch I used the remote to flick the TV on and began surfing through the various channels. There wasn't anything worth watching so I ended up tuning into one of the music channels whilst I ate.

Later on I went to the corner of my living room and picked up my guitar from its stand. It was an acoustic guitar, which I had owned since I was a kid. It had been nearly a month since I had last played. I had missed it but just hadn't had the time with all the graveyards I had pulled lately. After making a few minor tuning adjustments I began lightly strumming a few simple chords.

Whenever I played it felt as if the guitar and I were one. It wasn't long before I became lost in the music and started to play full songs. At first I just hummed along with the notes but by the chorus I was singing. The lyrics of the song had me thinking back to the pretty girl who Alice brought in last night. I quickly looked down at my watch and saw that I still had a couple of hours before I had to go to my parent's house. If I took the car I could swing by the hospital before picking up some groceries from the store.

What was wrong with me? I was being reckless. How would I explain to the staff why I was visiting a patient on my day off? None of that mattered at the moment. The only thing I knew was that I had to see her. I quickly returned my guitar to its usual spot. I quickly grabbed my car keys off the table whilst opening the front door.

It was about twenty minutes later and I had just pulled my silver Volvo into my parking spot in the car park. I had been lucky that no one else had used it today as the staff in the ER had to share spaces. I took a moment in my car to compose myself before opening the door and walking towards the hospital entrance. While I was walking I ran my hand through my hair - this was a habit I had to try and calm myself when I felt nervous. I wasn't too sure what I was more nervous about, being caught by my colleagues or the girl being awake. Either way I would have some explaining to do.

I was now on the surgical floor walking towards her room. As I walked my eyes were permanently fixed on the floor. I was too scared to lift my head for fear of being caught. A few moments later I literally collided with someone. "I'm so sorry…Rosalie" I said as I lifted my head up and was recognised Rosalie's blonde hair and attractive figure.

"Edward!" Her voice sounded just as surprised as mine had. "What are you doing here? Mike told us that you were off for a couple of days" That's when Emmett came striding out from the room behind Rosalie. I saw Rosalie turn a crimson red. "Alright mate, didn't expect to see you in today" he said slapping his hand across my back with what he thought was a friendly pat. Ow. I don't think he realised his own strength sometimes. "Yeah, umm. I just thought that I would check in on the GSW. How's she doing." I couldn't help but notice Emmett raise his eyebrow, probably questioning my motives.

"She's come round from the anaesthesia and is in a lot of pain. Other than that she's doing really well considering. You going to come to Ike's with us tonight man?" he asked changing the subject.

"Sorry. Can't tonight I've got to go home for some family dinner." I said apologetically. Rosalie was still here, she seemed to be staring at Emmett intensely. Now that I looked at her more closely her lips were slightly swollen as if she had been kissing someone recently. They had caught me red-handed and now it looked as if I had done the same with them. "So, Rosalie what are doing up here."

"What" she said absentmindedly. It were as if she had been transfixed by Emmett.

"I asked what you were doing up on the surgical floor?" I replied smugly. Let's see her get out of this one.

"Well I better get going" Emmett said sheepishly before slinking away. Coward. He had left Rosalie to deal with this alone.

"Umm. I had to bring up a chart. Oh that's my pager, they need me back down in the ER." she went running down the corridor towards the elevator.

Who would have thought Emmett and Rosalie together. How long had that been going on? Why did they feel the need to keep it secret? That could wait though there was a reason I was here.

I carried on, my palms becoming increasingly sweaty as I ventured ever closer. As I looked towards the girl's bed I saw someone else sat alongside her. The new girl cocked her head towards me "Can we help you?" she said politely.

"Umm. Sorry wrong room" I panicked and went to make a quick exit, until I heard her soft, angelic voice minus the grogginess from earlier.

"Hey wait. Weren't you in here earlier?" she asked.

"Do you know him Bella?" her friend questioned her.

"No."

"Then why was he in your room?" her friend began to look worried.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Cullen" I stretched my hand out towards the girl in the chair, she took it, shaking my hand. "I work down in the ER. I was the Doctor treating your friend when she was brought in last night. I was in her room, checking her vitals earlier" I saw her friend begin to smile. Phew. That was a close one I had really been put on the spot there but managed to BS my way out of it. The fact that it was partly true eased my guilt only fractionally.

"I'm Angela by the way, and this is Bella" she pointed towards my dream girl.

"It was a pleasure to meet you both. I have to go now but I might come back to check on you again later." I smiled. I knew I wanted to see her again and this was my way of leaving an option to do so. As I left I glanced back to her one last time and she was smiling. I didn't think it possible for her to be any more beautiful but she had proved me wrong.

I walked back to my car. I was a little disappointed that I hadn't spent more time with Bella. That was one thing I had learned at least. Her name was Bella. I couldn't imagine a more perfect name.

I had more than enough time to pick up my groceries and put them away when I got back to the apartment. I still had about half an hour before I was due at Mom and Dad's for dinner. I decided to leave now and get there early. This was unlike me, but, if I stayed here I would drive myself crazy thinking about Bella. This is where it would be good to have a roomie. Someone to talk to, take my mind off of her.

Dad opened the door "Edward" I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was surprised to see me here so early.

"Hi, Dad. Where's Mom?" As if I didn't already know the answer to that question.

"In the kitchen" he replied closing the door behind him. "Esme, Edward's here" he called out softly to her.

"Hi Mom" I walked up behind her placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "Mmm. Smells good" I said picking up a stick of carrot from the plate on the table.

"Hands off" she said, gently slapping my hand away from the food. "Alice is in the living room with Jasper" she added nudging me that way.

Alice was snuggled up with Jasper on the couch. They were watching some movie on TV. Jasper worked as a pharmacy tech in the hospital. He was one of my best friends. I had introduced him to her one night at Ike's. Two years had passed since then. "Edward. Can I have a word with you" Alice asked moving out of Jasper's embrace and taking me aside.

"What is it?" I asked. I didn't like the frown that she was wearing.

"Rosalie told me about your visit earlier on today. You need to be careful Edward. There are rules about getting involved with patients."

"What" I nervously laughed. "I just thought that Bella may be lonely as we…"

"Bella?" Alice looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face. In a flash the frown returned as she had processed who I was talking about.

"It's not like I'm going to date her Alice" I looked down to the floor trying to hide my true emotions. I decided the best way to get out of this was to change the subject. "I'm surprised Rosalie mentioned it to you. What with me catching her and Emmett today…"

"Wait a minute. What about her and Emmett?" Alice had a childish grin on her face. She loved gossip.

"They're secretly dating" I blurted out. Rosalie was going to kill me for telling but I had to get the attention away from my behaviour towards Bella. Besides she deserved it for the trouble that she had caused me. "Ow, jeez Alice. I think you just about perforated my eardrum" I said rubbing my ear after she had shrieked out in excitement. She was now running back to the living room, probably filling Jasper in on the situation.

"Dinners ready" Mom called.

"So, Alice why did you want us to have this dinner tonight" Dad asked after dinner.

Alice put her fork down on the table and took a hold of Jasper's hand. "Mom, Dad, Jasper and I are getting married" somehow she managed to keep her voice at a normal level.

"Congratulations" Mom said embracing both Alice and Jasper before disappearing off to the kitchen.

"I think this calls for a celebration" Dad said walking towards the drinks cabinet to pull out a glass of wine and five glasses. He really was celebrating I thought noticing he was using the crystal glasses.

"Congrats mate" I said to Jasper before pulling Alice into a hug. "I'm really happy for the both of you" I whispered to her. Mom and Dad were both back at the table when I announced "I'm really sorry but I need to go home and get some sleep. Jazz, Alice congratulations again. I'm sure you'll be very happy together."

After saying my goodbyes I went home and crashed. Once again I fell asleep dreaming about Bella.

**Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think. Also I'm probably going to make a playlist for this story. I have a few ideas for songs but if you would ike to make any suggestions please feel free to do so. Thanks :)**


	5. He's So Fine

**A/N Don't own it. ****Thanks again for the reviews. **

Chapter 5.

**BPOV**

I woke up and saw a tray of food to the side of me. I was starving, the food didn't look that appealing though. In the end I settled on the green Jell-O. I pulled the lid off in one swift motion, before placing my spoon into the quivering mass. The Jell-O slipped down my throat smoothly, satisfying my hunger momentarily.

I had no concept of time. The only thing I could determine from the light filtering through the window was that it was daytime. That's when Angela came running in.

"Bella" she said with an exasperated sigh, crushing me into a hug.

"Ow." I winced in pain as she crushed me.

"Oh. I'm sorry Bella." She moved her body away taking a seat in the chair to the side of my bed. "I'm just glad that you're okay" she continued.

"How did you even know that I was here?" I shifted on the bed, using my arms to pull myself into a sitting position. On doing this a sharp pain shot through my chest. My hand went across the sheets, searching for the remote. I pressed the button, sending pain medication coursing through my veins, giving me the relief I so desperately needed.

"After I got back from Ben's this morning and you weren't there I got worried. I was watching the news and there was a report about a young woman having been shot a few blocks from the apartment. I started calling round all the hospitals. Finally I spoke to a nurse who remembered treating someone fitting your description. I rushed over here as soon as I put the phone down. So how do you feel?"

"Not too bad, considering I was shot" I chuckled lightly.

"Bella. I'm so sorry" Angela cried, a few tears rolling down her cheek.

"What for?" I couldn't understand where her guilt was coming from.

"I shouldn't have let you be on your own. It was too early, I…." she sobbed.

"Angela" I interrupted her "Don't be silly. You had to go to work. This isn't your fault. It's Jacob's. He's the one who put me in here" I stretched my hand out towards hers, giving her a reassuring pat.

"You should probably call Charlie" she said, wiping away her tears.

"Angela, please tell me you didn't call him."

She nodded her head "Sorry Bella. I was just so worried about you. He was the only person I could think of to help me."

"God, Angela. He's probably going out of his mind with worry" I was a little mad with her for calling him.

There was a noise at the door and as Angela cocked her head to ask "Can we help you?" I let my eyes wander over to the doorway. It was the guy from earlier. He must have gone home. He now wore navy blue jeans, and a black shirt, with the collar unbuttoned. His hair didn't look quite as dishevelled as earlier. If it were possible his green eyes looked even more intensely beautiful.

He mumbled something about being in the wrong room and turned to leave. I found myself unwilling to let him leave. "Hey wait. Weren't you in here earlier?" Angela turned her face to look at me. She asked me if I knew him. I sheepishly replied "No." That's when Angela went into best friend, protective mode, questioning him as to why he was here.

It turned out that he had been my Doctor when I was brought into the ER last night. I was glad that he hadn't been a hallucination as I had thought earlier. For some reason I was a little disappointed to hear that he had only been in my room in a professional capacity. He didn't look like all the other Doctors I had seen in this hospital. He didn't wear a white coat and there was no stethoscope slung around his neck. I couldn't even see anything that resembled a pager clipped on his pants.

It was as though a wave of sadness washed over me after his departure. I wanted to see him again. I had never experienced feelings like these before. I didn't know what to do with them. Should I talk to Angela about it? I decided no, I would keep this to myself until I understood what was happening to me. After about another half hour it was time for Angela to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Okay Hun?" she smiled sweetly, lifting herself out of the chair.

"Yeah. Hey, Angela do you think you could bring me some edible food in tomorrow. I don't think I'll survive much longer on Jell-O alone"

She laughed "Sure. See you" with that she walked out of my room. Once again I was left on my own. I had just begun to drift off to sleep when I heard a booming voice.

"Didn't enjoy the free lunch I see" he glanced over towards my tray. It was my surgeon. I recognised him by the blue scrubs, muscular form and dark hair.

"Ehm. Not really" I replied a small frown playing on my lips.

"Can't say I blame you. How are you feeling today Miss Swan?" he flipped through the top pages of what I assumed was my chart.

"Much better, thanks."

"Good. I just need to quickly check the wound." he leant towards me, gently tugging on my robe, partially exposing my chest.

I couldn't help feel slightly embarrassed as he peeled back the dressing and started examining my wound. "The wound is healing very nicely. We should be able to take the sutures out in the next couple of days." he said whilst re-dressing the wound.

"Okay" that would be good because they had started to itch a couple of hours ago.

"Any problems just let me know" he patted my shoulder before walking out.

After asking a nurse how to dial an outside line from my phone, I dialled home. It only took a few rings before Dad picked up. His voice full of panic and concern "Bella. Is that you?"

"It's me Dad"

"Thank God. What happened? Are you okay? Does this have something to do with Jacob? Do you want me to fly out to Chicago? Just say the word and I'll be on the first flight tonight?"

"Slow down Dad" he was speaking at a hundred miles per hour. It was a lot of information to process. "I'm fine. I just had a little knock, you know me. No, I don't need you to fly all the way to Chicago" I felt bad lying to him but telling him the truth would only cause more trouble. I'm sure Jacob won't be bothering me again, he probably thinks I'm dead. It really wasn't worth getting into it.

"I'm glad you're okay and it was nothing too serious. That call from Angela really had me worried."

"That's why I called. I knew you would be going crazy with worry. I didn't want you suffering like that. I'm sorry it took so long before I was able to call."

"Bella don't be silly"

We continued our conversation for another hour. He wanted to know how the last couple of weeks had been. I felt a little guilty for not calling him more often. He ended the conversation when he had to go to work.

I fell asleep replaying the events of the past two days over and over in my head.

…….

The next day I started physiotherapy to get me up and moving again. It was a lot of hard work, sweat and tears. By the end of my session all I had accomplished was sitting up in my bed and sliding over into a chair. As the session wore on I had become increasingly frustrated with my lack of progress. That's when the therapist said that I had done enough for one day. He said that I had to be patient and I couldn't rush my recovery.

Angela had come and gone. She had got me some food in, that was now laying on my bedside table. My mind drifted to the handsome Doctor from yesterday. I was shocked to see him walk through the door as I thought about him. "Hello" I said a little surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Hi" he replied in that silky smooth voice of his. I knew then that his voice would be the undoing of me. It seemed he looked better each time I saw him. I probably looked absolutely awful compared to him. He walked in, took a seat and said….

**A/N I know left it on a bit of a cliffy. Next chapter will pick up from where this one finishes and will be EPOV. Thanks for reading :)**


	6. Bad Day

**A/N Sorry I wasn't able to update sooner but I was travelling cross-country to take an exam. Good news is now that I have taken it I can spend more time concentrating on the story. Yay!**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did.**

Chapter 6.

**EPOV**

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself yesterday. I'm Edward Cullen. Your Bella Swan?" I said confidently. I had looked on her chart to find out her last name.

"Umm. Yes" she replied softly, while biting on her lip nervously.

I furrowed my brows, while rubbing my hand against my temple, desperately thinking of something to say. I had come unprepared and as the silence between us grew, so did my panic and frustration. "So, umm. How long have you lived in Chicago?" I asked, feeling pathetic for having nothing better to ask. It was a start at least.

"About a month" she replied, sitting upright. She had left me with an opening to question her further. "Where are you from originally?"

"Forks, Washington."

"Why did you leave there?" This is when I first encountered resistance from her as a frown appeared on her face.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it" she replied solemnly.

"Sure. No problem" I couldn't refuse her objection. This did cause a little problem though. I was back to square one, unable to think of anything to say. The silence had become uncomfortable, until she finally spoke.

"What made you become a Doctor?"

I knew it was clichéd, but in my case it was the truth. "I want to help people." I shrugged. "My father is a Doctor. When I was growing up I saw the difference he made in people's lifes. That's when I knew that one day, I would become a Doctor."

She smiled sweetly as she sat listening to what I assumed was a very boring story. "That's a really nice story. Does your Dad work here?"

"Yeah. He's the chief of staff actually" I said proudly. Even though we bickered from time to time, my respect for Carlisle never wavered. I owed him a great deal. He had put me through medical school and played a huge part in landing me the job, here at County. I would be eternally grateful to him.

"Do you enjoy your job?" Bella was definitely better at keeping the conversation going than I had been.

My reply was simple "Yes" I found myself opening up to her in ways that I hadn't done with anyone else.

By the end of our conversation I had learned her favourite colour was green. She preferred dogs to cats, her favourite ice cream was Ben & jerry's. Oh, and her Dad's name was Charlie and he was a cop. There was still so much I wanted to know about her, like who was her favourite band?

Rounds had just started down the hall. This was my cue to leave. I really didn't want to though. I had found it so easy talking to Bella. The more I learned about her the more I liked. I stood up "Well. I guess I better go" as I turned to leave she said something that had my pulse racing.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?"

Was this really happening? She wanted to see me too. I flashed her my best smile "Sure. It's a date." I saw a look of shock cross her face and worried that I had misread the situation. I was sure she had enjoyed my company as much as I had hers for the past three hours. Hadn't she?

I waited the ten minutes for Emmett's shift to end. I needed to talk to someone about my feelings towards Bella. While he could be a right dick sometimes, he always came through when I needed him to.

"Alright Edward. Can't seem to keep away huh?" he said with a goofy grin.

"Emmett, have you got time to go for a quick drink?"

"I don't know. I promised Rosalie…"

"Please Emmett" I interrupted. He must have heard the desperation in my voice. He left a message for Rosalie saying he had to cancel their plans for tonight.

It was eight o' clock when we arrived at Ike's and it was already quite busy. "Can I have two beers please" I said loudly, leaning over the bar. My intent was to make it easier for the waitress to hear me. This attempt had clearly failed, as she shouted back "How many beers was that love?" Contemplating the noise coming from the jukebox mixed with people talking, I indicated two, using my fingers. She understood and toddled off to get our beers.

Once I had paid for our drinks Emmett and I went on the hunt for a private booth. Ten minutes later a group vacated their booth and we quickly slid in, taking their place.

"What's up?" he asked in a serious manner.

I swigged on my beer bottle before answering him, "It's Bella"

"Who's Bella?" he asked.

"The GSW from Wednesday night"

"Right. What about her?" he said taking a large mouthful of beer.

"I think I have feelings for her"

"WHAT!" he said spraying beer all over my face.

"Real helpful Emmett" I said raising my eyebrows.

"Sorry man" he apologized. He continued "What do you mean 'feelings?'"

"I'm attracted to her Emmett. I go home and can't stop thinking about her. She's driving me crazy."

"Edward. She's a patient" his serious tone returned.

"I know, I know" I said shaking my head in my hands. "But what if she's…the one?" I lifted my head to read his expression as I revealed my deepest, darkest secret.

It was one of total and utter shock. "Edward. You can't do anything about it. You know that right?" he said quietly with a look of concern in his eyes.

"Yeah. I know" I sighed defeated.

The next morning I was rudely awakened by my pager going off. It was the ER. When I called in they said one of the other residents had called in sick and they needed me to cover. Damn it. I had planned to see Bella again today. I had chosen to ignore Emmett's advice. Hopefully I would find a few spare minutes to go up and visit her.

My first patient was a minor league hockey player who had taken a hard check into the boards. This had caused an avulsion fracture to the distal tibia. I sent him to ortho to be fitted for an air-boot. Next up was post-prandial pain, followed by weak and dizzy, then lol with sob. It had been non-stop all morning, at least there had been no major traumas. Yet.

"Edward. They need a Doc to go to an accident on the railway tracks. Helicopter's waiting on the roof." Mike shouted down the corridor. I could feel my chances of seeing Bella today slipping further away as the day progressed.

I walked across the helipad towards the helicopter. The wind caused by the rotary blades whipping across my face and through my hair. The noise of the engine was deafening. We flew for about fifteen minutes before reaching the accident. As we landed I saw that there was absolute chaos on scene. There were walking wounded milling around, unsure as to what to do and where to go. I also saw victims who had been crushed and were trapped. As I continued walking around, surveying the scene it became apparent very quickly that more Doctor's were needed on site.

I spent a few minutes searching for a paramedic, then I saw Alice, wheeling a gurney out from the mangled wreckage. I ran over to her "Alice I need you to get onto dispatch. We need more Doc's on scene and at least one surgeon" I shouted, even though I was right next to her.

"Okay. Here" she said thrusting triage tags into my hand. I had only just heard her, the noise surrounding us was going to make assessing patients very difficult.

I got to work tagging people in relation to how serious their injuries were. Black was for those who were dead, red for those in urgent need of medical attention and green for those who could afford to wait.

I went over to a man whose legs had been crushed and had become pinned to the ground by the train. I was concerned, as he had lost a lot of blood already. I knelt down "Hello. I'm Dr. Cullen. What's your name?" when dealing with patients it seemed to put them at ease, talking to them in this manner.

"James" he gritted his teeth against the pain he was feeling.

"Okay, James. We're going to try to get you out. How about some pain medication?"

"Yes please" he nodded his head as best he could in his current position. I hooked him up to a drip of morphine.

"How's that? Better?"

"Much. Thanks"

"Not a problem" Now I had to say something that would be hard for him to hear. "James I'm going to do everything I can to save your legs. I need you to understand though that if I can't control the bleeding we may have to amputate"

"I understand"

More Doctor's had arrived on scene by this point. Emmett was one of them. I ran towards him. "Emmett" I shouted. Somehow he managed to hear me and began walking over. "I've got a forty-four year old male whose legs have been crushed. He's pinned by the train. I'm concerned by his blood loss. He may need a bilateral bka" I said steering him towards James. "James" I shouted "This is Dr. Ryder. He's going to be taking over your care now" I looked down into his eyes searching for a level of understanding. I hoped he didn't feel as if I were abandoning him.

I knew it wouldn't be long before Emmett would be forced to amputate. James's blood loss still wasn't under control and he was fading fast. If Emmett didn't operate soon James would die.

I wheeled the last patient from the accident into the ER. I had come back in Alice's rig. I was drained, both physically and emotionally. My shift was over a couple of hours ago. It was all part of the job. It wasn't like an office where you could punch out at five on the dot. All I wanted to do was get this patient settled and then pop up to see Bella.

As I walked onto the surgical floor Emmett wheeled James to the SICU. "Did you have to amputate?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah" he replied solemnly, before carrying on.

I walked into Bella's room, to find it deserted. I went running out to reception "Excuse me, can you tell me where Bella Swan is please?"

"Just a second" she picked up Bella's chart and read "She was transferred this afternoon."

"Where was she transferred to?"

"I'm sorry Edward but Emmett has left strict instructions that you are not to be told where Miss Swan is."

I couldn't believe it. After such a hectic day all I wanted was to see my dream girl, and now it seemed I had lost her forever. This day was fast becoming one of the worst days of my life.

**A/N I promise that there is a method to my maddness. Let me know what you think. Thanks :)**

**Heres what the medical teminology/abbreaviations stand for:**

An **avulsion fracture** is a bone fracture which occurs when a fragment of bone tears away from the main mass of bone as a result of physical trauma

**Post Prandial - After food **

**lol - little old lady**

**sob - shortness of breath**

**bka - below knee amputation**


	7. Ache

**A/N Here's the next chapter. It's a little different in that it has both Bella and Edwards pov's. Hope you like it. Also I have put up definitions for medical terminology/abbreviations on Chapter 6. Sorry, I mean't to do that when I put that chapter up. Once again thanks for all the reviews.**

**Don't own it - Wish I did**

**Chapter 7.**

**BPOV**

I couldn't believe it. We had spent the past three hours talking. After I had got him to drop his defences and open up a bit we were laughing and joking. It were as if we had been friends for ever. I felt so comfortable around him, the only thing I didn't want to talk about was why I left Forks. He hadn't pushed when I told him that I didn't want to talk about it. I would tell Edward about Jacob one day. Now wasn't the right time. Not whilst we were only just starting to get to know each other.

As he began to leave, before I could stop myself I blurted out "So I'll see you tomorrow?" I shrank back onto my bed. Stupid I thought. Then he flashed me a crooked smile that made my heart melt.

"Sure. It's a date" he replied. I was in a state of shock, did he feel that way about me?

I didn't get much sleep that night. I had reverted back to a sixteen year old girl with a crush. I couldn't wait to see Edward again and talk to him. There was still so much more to discover, I had only just scratched the surface today. My Doctor walked in, interrupting my thoughts.

"How we feeling today Miss Swan?"

Enough with the formalities already "Please call me Bella and fine"

"Okay Bella" he said emphasising my name. "I'm going to check the wound again."

I didn't feel so self conscious when he examined me this time.

"I'm going to take the stitches out. It may sting a little" he warned.

As he pulled the stitches it brought tears to my eyes. Thankfully it wasn't long before the ordeal was over.

"I think you're well enough to be transferred to a rehabilitation unit today."

"What?" I said with mixed emotions. I was happy that I would be getting out of hospital but upset that it wouldn't be as easy for Edward to see me as often.

"You don't need to stay in hospital. I'm sending you someplace where you'll be more comfortable. It will aid your recovery. They've got decent food there as well" he joked.

"When am I likely to be going?" I asked. Hopefully it wouldn't be for a while. I was hoping that I wouldn't be moved until after Edward had visited.

"Probably sometime in the afternoon" he answered before placing my chart back at the end of my bed and leaving.

Angela had turned up at about one o' clock. She had brought me some lunch. "How are things?" she asked taking sandwiches and a bag of chips out of the bag.

"I'm being moved to some rehabilitation unit sometime today" I said as I took a large bite of my cheese and pickle sandwich.

"That's great news Bella"

"Yeah" I forced a smile.

"Bella what's wrong?" I hadn't fooled her with my fake smile.

"It's just" how was I going to tell her about Edward. Part of me still felt a little guilty. I hadn't got completely over Jake and Angela knew that. What would she think about my showing interest in a new guy.

"Come on Bella, spit it out" she pleaded, clearly becoming frustrated at my reluctance to tell her.

"You know that Doctor from the other day"

"The cute one" she giggled.

"Yeah. Well he came by yesterday and we started talking" I was interrupted by her shriek of excitement. Clearly she knew where I was going with this story.

"You like him" she said, glaring at me.

"I think I do." I felt a blush spreading across my face. This was the first time I had really admitted my feelings about Edward to myself. It was so much more than some silly little crush.

"Bella's in lurve" she sang. She was making fun of me.

"Shut up" I said slapping her playfully. I immediately regretted this as the movement sent a jolt of pain across my chest. I grimaced but didn't cry out. I didn't want Angela to worry about me.

"So what's the problem?" she moved back to the more serious issue.

"Well, he's an ER Doc so he probably doesn't have a lot of free time. It's easy for him to visit me here, because it's where he works. He can pop up in his lunch break or something. He won't be able to do that at this new place I'm going to. In other words I won't be seeing as much of him" I sighed.

"I see" she said with compassion.

About forty-five minutes later Angela had to leave, to get back to work. I said I would text her when I found out where they were moving me to.

It was now five o'clock and two things had not happened. I had not been transferred yet and more importantly Edward had not come to visit me. I was more concerned about the latter.

Why hadn't he come by? He definitely said that he was going to be coming today, didn't he? Had I bored him? Did he not like me? Had I imagined our conversation yesterday? Had something happened to him? I became more and more worried as questions entered my head as to why Edward hadn't turned up.

That's when the ambulance turned up to take me to my new home for the next couple of weeks. This couldn't be the end. This should be the beginning. But I was leaving and Edward wouldn't know where I was. I asked for a pen and some paper. I quickly scribbled a note to Edward telling him where I would be and stating that I would really like to see him again ( I had overheard my Doctor talking to the Ambulance guys giving them the name of the unit that I was going to) As I was wheeled out of the room I thrust the piece of paper into Dr. Ryder's hand. "Could you please give that to Dr. Cullen. Oh, and thanks for everything" I quickly added. He just waved as I was wheeled away from this place.

…..

It had been two weeks and today I was being discharged. Angela had taken the day off work to drive me home and get me settled. I hadn't seen or heard from Edward since that day at the hospital. It appeared that he was just being polite and didn't have any feelings about me.

"Bella, cheer up. You're coming home today. You should be celebrating." Angela said having seen my miserable face.

"Yay" I said with forced enthusiasm.

"He's not worth it Bella" I knew she was talking about Edward. I also knew that she was right. I really felt that there had been some sort of spark between us but obviously I had been wrong.

When we arrived back at the apartment Angela's boyfriend Ben was there with a banner that read 'Welcome Home Bella.' There was cake as well. I was taken aback by the gesture I walked up to Ben and gave him a hug. "Thanks Ben" I smiled, the first real smile I had since that day with Edward.

"You're welcome" he said quickly kissing Angela on the lips.

A couple of hours later Ben and Angela left to go to his place. I think they needed some 'alone' time.

I did some laundry, watched a movie, read some of my favourite book, Wuthering Heights. Anything to keep my mind off of him. None of it worked though, I just couldn't stop thinking about Edward. I was never going to see him again and this obsession with him wasn't healthy. I needed to move on with my life and forget about him.

The phone rang. I sprinted across the room, thankful for the distraction.

"Hello" I answered.

"Hello Bella" came a familiar, snarling voice.

**EPOV**

Over the past couple of weeks I had thrown myself into work, picking up extra shifts whenever I could. All to try and not think about Bella every minute of the day.

I hadn't spoken to Emmett since I had been told that it was his instruction that I not be told where she had been transferred. I had trusted him, confided in him and he had betrayed that trust. Deep down I knew he was only doing what he thought was right. It didn't stop me being mad at him though.

Jasper sat next to me at lunch. "Still not talking to Emmett I see" he said. This fall out of mine and Emmett's had been hard on Jasper, he was friends with both of us. I had apologized for putting him in the middle of it. He said that he understood both sides of the argument.

"Edward, Alice and I are worried about you" he said solemnly. Whilst I'm sure Jazz was a little worried about me I knew this had more to do with my little sister. She had cornered me earlier and tried to talk to me about my attitude.

"I'm fine" I said through gritted teeth. Sometimes I wished people would just leave me be and let me get on with things in my own way.

"It's just you spend most of your time here working."

I didn't reply. I just wanted to be left alone.

"We're here for you if you want to talk" he said before leaving.

After my shift ended I went to Ike's. I sat at the bar, hoping nobody from work would come up to me. I had been so pissy lately at work that it shouldn't be an issue. In fact only my family and Jazz were still talking to me. I ordered a beer. I had found alcohol could make me forget about Bella for a few hours and numbed the pain. I would come to Ike's after every shift. I never drank enough to get drunk, but I had been drinking every day since she had gone.

The next day at work Mike took me aside and informed me that he was putting me on graveyard shifts again until my attitude problem had improved. He sent me home and said that he would see me at seven tomorrow night.

As I walked up the steps to the El I couldn't help wondering what Mike's problem was. I know I've got problems, but I'm trying to deal with them. There was no need to put me on night shifts for god knows how long again. I couldn't expect Carlisle to keep bailing me out every time I got into trouble with Mike. I would just have to suck it up and deal.

'Oy' I shouted as some jerk shoved me. He looked a bit out of place here, with his russet skin, and long, jet-black hair.

He just carried on walking not seeming to notice or care that he had shoved into me.

I got home and packed myself off to bed. After two hours of trying to get to sleep I gave up. It was pointless. I couldn't drift off to sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about Bella. If her recovery had gone well she would probably be discharged soon. Why was I torturing myself like this? Thanks to Emmett I was never going to see Bella again, I had to move on with my life.

I began rifling through my mail, having nothing better to do. It was mostly junk but there was an envelope with Alice's handwriting on it. I tore open the envelope and pulled out a card. It was an invitation to her and Jazz's engagement party next weekend. It was nothing that fancy, they were having it at Ike's. I would have to adjust my attitude pretty quickly to have any chance of Mike accepting my request for the night off. I needed this party to bring me out of my depression. Who knows maybe I would meet someone who would help me get over my obsession with Bella.

**A/N Things aren't looking good for Bella and Edward :(. Please don't hate me as I said before there is a method to the maddness. Let me know what you think. Thanks :)**


	8. Move Along

**A/N Hi guys sorry it's been a while since my last update but I had a little bit of trouble writing this one. I knew where I wanted to end up but it was getting there. If that makes sense. Also I amended the end of BPOV on the previous chapter.**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did.**

Chapter 8.

**BPOV**

I slammed the phone down. How did he know Angela's number? I panicked. Why wouldn't he leave me alone? I wish I'd never met Jacob Black.

I woke up early the next morning and began looking for a job. I switched on my laptop and started browsing through the various jobsites. I found a few jobs that interested me and made a note of them, to return to later.

It was lunchtime by the time I had finished scouring through the internet and I had made a note of about twenty jobs that I was interested in. I realised that I hadn't got a CV. I would have to type one up. Right now though I had to eat.

Whilst I ate my lunch I began to think about my one and only conversation with Edward. This is why I really needed a job. Whenever I had a chance to just sit and not concentrate on anything my mind would inevitably always go back to Edward. It hurt to think about him, but I couldn't stop myself. I had taken a chance with him and he had rejected me. I needed ice cream. I opened the freezer to find there was no ice cream in there. Damn it. I would have to go to the store to get some.

As I walked down the street, memories of that day came flooding back to me. When I turned the corner, onto the street where I had been shot it took everything in me not to turn around and run back home. I slowly inched my way down the sidewalk, each step taken with a sense of trepidation. As I made it to the storefront I sighed in relief. I had made it. I felt a sense of accomplishment. I wasn't going to let Jacob ruin my life anymore.

On the way back, about a block from the apartment I saw a flyer outside a building. There was a job opening for a cook at the firehouse, they needed someone who could start right away. The pay wasn't as good as some of the other jobs I had been looking at earlier, but, there was the perk that if I got the job I could be working as early as tomorrow. I really could do with the distraction.

I ventured into the building calling "Hello" it took another five attempts before someone finally responded.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Umm. The flyer outside said something about a job offer?" The words came out more like a question than a statement.

"Right. If you'd like to come with me" he started walking upstairs to an office, I followed him inside and took the seat that he offered me.

I was suddenly very aware of my appearance. Having only gone to the store I was wearing a pair of jeans and my favourite hoodie. My hair was a mess and I had no make up on. Not exactly what you could class as dressed for an interview.

The man, who I put at about forty placed a piece of paper on his desk and picked up a pen.

"My name is Alex and I'm in charge of the firehouse. This interview will be very informal. I just need some information about yourself and what your qualifications are. So If we begin with your name" He said very gently, trying his best to keep me calm.

"Isabella Swan" I replied.

"Okay Isabella, what qualifications do you have in cooking?" he continued.

Shit. I hadn't thought this through. I didn't have any type of qualifications in cooking. "Umm. Cooking dinner for my Dad for the past five years." I said feeling completely pathetic. There was no way I was going to be getting this job.

"On occasion we may need you to perform some admin tasks as well. Would this be alright? Do you have any experience answering telephones?"

"I would be more than happy to help out where needed. I worked in a call centre throughout college."

After a few minutes of him finishing writing up some notes and shuffling through his draws for some more paperwork he finally spoke.

I knew that I hadn't got the job I looked a mess and I didn't have the necessary qualifications.

"I'm very sorry to inform you Ms Swan that you don't have the rest of the day off. I need you to come back at four o'clock to start dinner."

"Are you serious?" He must be desperate if he was giving me the job.

"Yes. I think you will fit in well here. You have the right kind of experience, after all I don't want a gourmet chef. I need someone who can cook homemade meals for the guys."

"Thank You"

"You're Welcome" he smiled.

I walked back to the apartment with a bounce in my step. I'm not going to lie it wasn't the best job in the world, but, it was exactly what I needed right now. When I got back I found that my ice cream had melted and had begun to leak out of the carton. I put it straight into the freezer, hoping it was still salvageable.

Angela popped home at about two in the afternoon. I suspect she was checking up on me. I knew that she didn't have long before she had to go back to work. I wasted no time. "I've got some news" I said, my lips curling into a smile.

"What's that?" she called out from the kitchen where she was busily fixing herself something to eat.

"I got a job today" I was only now realising that I was actually quite excited about starting.

"That's brilliant news, what is it" a smile lit up her face.

"I'm going to be cooking meals at the local firehouse"

"Do you think you'll be happy doing that?" she asked.

"Not for ever no" I answered honestly. "But, for right now it's exactly what I need to keep my mind off of other things"

"Well if you're sure" She seemed determined to put a downer on my good mood.

"Angela, can't you just be happy for me" I said a little pissed off with her attitude.

"Sorry, of course I'm happy for you" she hugged me before leaving to return to work.

I spent what was left of my afternoon looking through different recipes. I settled on meatloaf and vegetables. I just hoped that all the ingredients would be there.

It was half past three and I was very anxious about my first day. What would the people be like? Would I finally make some new friends here? Then I began to worry about things like what are my hours? Was there some sort of dress code that I should have asked about? Why hadn't I asked more questions in my interview? I changed my hoodie to a nice top and put some pumps on, I was going to be on my feet for a while.

Fifteen minutes later I was at the firehouse. Even if I couldn't do anything else right I could at least be punctual.

"Isabella" a familiar voice said. It was Alex.

"If you don't mind I prefer Bella" I couldn't stand being called Isabella.

"Bella, would you like me to show you to the kitchen. I would introduce you to some people but I'm afraid their all out on a call at the moment."

"Lead the way" I said playfully.

Alex gave me a brief tour of where everything was located before saying "Any questions?"

"Just a few. Am I supposed to be wearing a uniform? What are my hours and when do I get paid?"

"What you're wearing is fine. I'll need you to cook lunch and dinner so if we say your hours are eleven to seven. When your not cooking or cleaning the dishes I'll give you the admin duties. Pay day is the last Thursday of the month. I have some business to attend to, are you okay here by yourself."

"Yep. I'll get started on dinner now" I smiled.

I set to work quickly. I took out pots and pans before washing and peeling the vegetables. I washed up as much as I could whilst I cooked. I vaguely heard people come through the door and walk up the stairs. They all seemed to be congregating in the TV room. I had never cooked for this amount of people so the quantities had been a bit of a challenge for me. In the end I had figured it out.

I had finished cooking and was about to announce that the food was ready. People had already walked in some of them saying "Something smells good"

While I served the food a few of them said hello to me but the most memorable was a young woman who looked vaguely familiar to me. "Your new here aren't you? I'm Alice by the way" she said with a smile.

"Bella" I replied. She had a look on her face of deep concentration as if she were trying to remember something. Then it were as if she shrugged the thought off. She walked away over to the table.

"This is really good" someone said. I have to admit I did enjoy listening to their appraisals of my cooking. All in all I think my first day was a success. I couldn't wait to come back tomorrow. I had already started planning out what I would cook each day.

My day had gone really well. That was until I got home and Jacob called again. It was the same as yesterday he just said "Hello Bella" and once again I slammed the phone down. I wasn't happy about his calls but what could I do. It wasn't as if he were doing anything wrong. Was it?

"Who was that?" Angela asked.

"Wrong number" I lied. I didn't want to ruin Angela's day as well by telling her about Jacob's calls.

The rest of the week went by in much the same way as my first day at work. I had also done a few admin duties. This was mainly answering the phone and filing some paperwork.

Sometimes I found myself with nothing to do. If Alice was around at the time she would always come over and start talking to me. I had only known her five days but I felt as if I knew her quite well. I found it very easy to talk to her. Sometimes our conversations got interrupted when she had to drop everything to go on a shout. It had taken me a couple of days but I had finally remembered why she looked so familiar. Alice was the paramedic who had taken me to hospital the day that Jacob shot me. I haven't told her that I recognize her and she doesn't appear to know who I am. The amount of people she can see in a single shift it's not surprising that she doesn't remember everyone's face.

"Bella, are you doing anything tomorrow night" Alice asked.

"No, why?" I gave her a suspicious look. I could see from the look on her face that she was making plans.

"It's mine and Jasper's engagement party and I want you there"

"I don't know. I won't know anyone there. I haven't known you that long. Would you really want me there?"

"I wouldn't invite you if I didn't want you there, duh. You will know people there. I'll be there and a few of this rowdy bunch are coming" she pointed around the room to most of the people in it. "See, so there's plenty of people you'll know. Anyway I thought you said you wanted to meet new people. Please come Bella" she pleaded, pouting with puppy dog eyes.

I had an impression that Alice always got her own way. Especially when she used that face.

"Okay." I relented. "I don't know if I have anything to wear though" I worried.

"Don't worry I've got plenty of things that would work on you. I'll go back to your place after work. You finish at seven don't you?"

"Yeah"

"Then it's sorted. Tomorrow night you are coming to my party and I'm going to make you look stunning… Not that you're not pretty in your own way" she quickly added.

What have I let myself in for?

**EPOV**

Carlisle was not impressed when I informed him that I had been put back on graveyard shift for an indefinate amount of time.

"I'm sorry Edward. I'm not going to intervene this time. Mike is right your attitude needs to improve. What has been with you these past couple of weeks?" he asked. He stood there waiting for an answer.

I couldn't tell him why I had been acting the way I had. He would give me a lecture about getting too involved with a patient. I sidestepped the question by replying "I know that I've had a really bad attitude these past couple of weeks. I plan to change that though, starting tonight."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it" he said before walking away. He didn't seem to care that I hadn't actually answered his question.

It had been a slow night and I used the time to catch up on my charting. Why is it that I could see and diagnose a patient in as little as ten minutes, yet it took me half an hour to write up all the paperwork?

Rosalie came over to me and asked "Edward, don't you think its about time you started talking to Emmett again. He was only acting in your best interest."

"I know. I'm going to apologize when I see him next" I smiled. "Talking of Emmett, how are things going with you two?" I asked, quirking my eyebrow.

"They're going really well. I have to admit I'm glad everyone knows because we don't have to sneak around anymore. The sneaking around was getting to me. It made me feel as if I were having an affair or something. Don't think I've forgiven you for telling Alice by the way" she said waggling her finger at me.

"But you just said that you were glad everyone knew. So I did you a favour really" It felt good to be talking to Rosalie again. I couldn't blame her for not wanting to talk to me. I had acted like a complete ass towards Emmett and like she said he had only been trying to help me.

Emmett had come down on a consult "Hey Emmett, can I talk to you?"

"Sure" came his reply.

We walked into the Doctor's lounge to have a little bit of privacy. I poured myself a coffee. "I'm really sorry about the way I've been treating you lately. You didn't deserve it. I know you did what you did for my own good."

"So we're cool again?" he asked.

"Yeah, we'll cool again" I said. I was glad that our friendship was back on track. We had been friends for the last five years and it wasn't worth falling out over something like this. Also we all had to work together and things ran smoother when we got along.

"Edward, we've got a burn victim coming in. About ten minutes out. Emmett we might need you as well." Rosalie said after opening the door to the lounge.

"I hate crispy critters" Emmett said.

I felt much the same. I had difficulties dealing with the smell of charred flesh. It was part of the job though and you had to push through the nausea. I found that if I concentrated on the little details of the procedures I was performing it helped.

We gowned up and walked out to the ambulance bay, ready to meet the rig.

The guy had over 90% body surface, full-thickness burns and despite performing an escarotomy we had been unable to safe his life. I now had the task of informing his family that he had died.

I took his wife into the family room and made her take a seat. "Mrs Weller as you know your husband was brought in to the ER with serious burns and despite all our best efforts his injuries were too severe and he died. I'm very sorry for your loss." I placed my hand on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

In med school they made us perform role-plays to see how we would handle dealing with the next of kin's reaction to bad news. Truth is nothing could prepare you for having to tell someone that their loved one had died. You just had to hope that when you told them your voice conveyed compassion.

I took Mrs Weller into the trauma room so that she could say her goodbyes to her husband. Before taking her through I explained that she should prepare herself for what she was about to see. I waited outside whilst she said goodbye.

The night continued to be quiet and by the time the day shift came in we had no pass ons.

Whilst I was at work I successfully managed to not think about Bella. Unfortunately I could not say the same for when I was at home and on my own. She was the last thing on my mind before I went to sleep and the first thing on my mind when I woke up.

It was Friday and my last night shift before a couple of days off and then going back to day shifts. Mike had been happy with the change in my attitude and had agreed to let me have Saturday night off. Better than that though was that he was putting me back on days.

About half an hour before I was due to leave Alice called.

"Hello"

"Hi Edward, it's Alice. I'm just calling to make sure that you're definitely coming tomorrow night."

"Yes. Mike gave me the night off so I'll be there. Why are you so interested in whether or not I'm going."

"Is it wrong of me to want my favourite brother to be at my engagement party?"

"Alice, I'm your only brother" I stated.

"I know. So I'll see you tomorrow. Bye"

"Bye"

I could tell that Alice was up to something and it involved me. She never had been very good at containing her excitement. I just hoped that she wasn't planning on setting me up with one of her friends again. When she set me up with her friend Jessica the date had been a complete and utter disaster from start to finish. Even now whenever I saw Jess she would throw herself at me every opportunity she had. It was embarrassing really.

**A/N Hope you enjoyed that and it was worth the wait. I am going to be naming my chapters after songs. I have names for a couple of chapters but am having difficulty with the others, so any suggestions let me know. Thanks :)**


	9. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**A/N Here's the next chapter it's all BPOV. Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Don't own Twilight - wish I did**

Chapter 9.

**BPOV**

It was Saturday night and Alice and I had just finished work. We were walking back to my place.

"Can we slow down please" Alice moaned, adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder.

"I don't know why you had to bring your entire wardrobe" I chuckled, looking at the massive bag she was struggling with. "It's not much further" I called back.

"Good" she said a little breathlessly. "And for your information, this bag doesn't contain my entire wardrobe, just a few selections I think might work for you. I wasn't going to risk only bringing one outfit and it not working" she said with a playful smile.

"This is my building" I placed my key into the lock.

"Finally" Alice dropped the bag on the step and rubbed her aching shoulder whilst I unlocked the door.

I began walking towards the stairs whilst Alice hauled the bag back onto her shoulder. "Which floor is your apartment on?" she asked.

"Third floor" I answered as I began climbing the stairs.

"I think I'll take the elevator" she said.

"Umm, Alice." I called, having turned to face her.

"What?" she said a little impatiently.

"There's no elevator"

"You've got to be kidding me" she huffed as she made her way over to me.

About ten minutes later and a lot more grumbling from Alice we were inside the apartment.

"Nice place" she said having given the apartment a cursory glance. "Let's get started then. Where's your bathroom?"

"Alice we just got here. I was going to make us something to eat and get us some drinks"

"Bella, we don't have time for that. This doesn't just happen you know" she said, whilst moving her hand around her face. "Now, go and have a shower. I'll fix us some drinks."

"But you don't…" I began.

"No buts, go" she said shepherding me away.

I walked out of the bathroom wearing a robe and towel-drying my hair and saw that Alice had been busy. Six or seven different outfits were laid out across the couch and she had made two cosmopolitans. "I didn't even know that we had the stuff to make cosmos" I said.

"Yeah. I may have made a bit of a mess looking for it all. I hope your roommate won't mind. Where is she by the way?"

"No, Angela's pretty laid back about that kind of stuff. She's probably at her boyfriend's place. Are these all for me?" I asked brushing my hand over the gorgeous dresses she had laid out. Alice had great taste. I loved every single dress. One stood out though.

"Yes. Did you want to try them all on and see which one you like best?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"Actually, I've already decided on this dress." I said picking up a gorgeous cobalt blue dress. It was a low-cut, shoulder sleeve dress that was floaty and fell just above the knee. "I'll just go try it on and make sure it looks okay on me."

I went running into my room and quickly put on some underwear before slipping the dress on. It clung in all the right places. I went over to the mirror to take a look. I was surprised at how good the dress made me look.

I walked out to show Alice. "Bella, you look amazing" she said wide-eyed.

"Thanks" I said doing a little twirl.

"Okay, so we've sorted the dress out. We just need to do your hair, make-up and pick out shoes and accessories."

This all seemed a lot of effort for one little party. I began to feel like a princess as Alice set to work on me. I took a sip of my cosmo whilst she blow-dried my hair. I was amazed by the amount of things she had crammed into the bag. Hair products, shoes, clothes, bags, jewellery and even a vanity case. No wonder it weighed so much. "Alice, shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"Don't worry about me. I have everything under control" she said before changing the subject. "Did I tell you that my older brother is coming to the party, I think you and he would be perfect together" she was curling my hair into soft ringlets.

"Alice, what are you up to?" I raised my eyebrows at her. She better not be expecting me to start dating her brother. I didn't seem to be that lucky in love.

"Nothing" she said all innocently. "It's just I think the two of you would hit it off. I can't wait for you to meet Jasper" she was unable to contain her excitement.

"Yes, it will be nice to put a face to the name" Alice never shut up about her Jasper at work. I don't think we had a single conversation where she hadn't mentioned him.

"Look up" she said, as she carefully applied eyeliner on me. She worked quickly and after five minutes she took me over to the mirror.

"Wow, you're good" I barely recognised myself. The soft ringlets framed my heart-shaped face and she had used a minimal amount of make-up that enhanced my features and covered up all my little imperfections. The foundation she had used made my skin look flawless and took away some of the pastiness.

"I'm going to shower." Alice said standing up. "Why don't you pick out some jewellery and look at the selection of shoes I've put out" she said pointing to a spot on the floor.

I walked towards the shoes. When I got to them I had an overwhelming sense of dread wash over me as I noticed that they all had heels, that were all over four-inches high. Doesn't Alice realize that I'm a complete and utter klutz, with no co-ordination what so ever. I wouldn't be able to walk in these shoes let alone dance in them. Not that I could dance anyway. If I knew Alice the way I thought I did there was going to be no chance of wearing flats.

Alice walked out of the bathroom, wearing a gorgeous white, strapless dress with a flower design embossed on it. The white was broken up with a black ribbon across the middle. "Alice, you look lovely" I said softly.

"I know" she giggled. "So have you picked out some shoes yet?"

"Yeah, about that. I don't suppose there's any chance of wearing a nice pair of flats?" I asked hopefully.

"Absolutely not" she replied sternly. "How about these?" she said walking over and picking up a pair of silver shoes with an open toe design.

"Well there gorgeous. I just don't think I'll be able to walk in them." They really were beautiful shoes.

"Why don't you put them on. See how they feel?" Alice pleaded.

I slipped my feet into the shoes, one foot at a time. They were more comfortable than I had expected. I took some tentative steps forward and managed to remain upright. I continued walking around the apartment, building up my confidence, whilst Alice dried her hair before starting to apply some make-up.

That's when the phone rang. I checked my watch to see what time it was. Knowing it would be Jacob I let the machine get it. "Hello Bella. It's Jake, sorry I missed you tonight." I erased the message so that Angela wouldn't know that he had called.

"Who's Jake?" Alice called.

Damn. I forgot that she was able to hear the message. "Just someone I knew back in Forks." Thankfully she didn't ask for any more details.

A few cosmos later the cab we had called pulled up outside the apartment and honked.

"Time to go" squealed Alice.

I locked the door and we made our way down the steps. I stumbled on the last step, luckily Alice stopped me from falling. "Oops." I giggled - I may have been a little tipsy. "Don't drink and wear heels" Both Alice and I laughed.

"Come on you." Alice dragged me into the cab.

Ten minutes later we were outside Ike's, the bar where Alice and Jasper's engagement party was being held. Alice paid the driver and we walked to the bar arm in arm. As we walked along the sidewalk I started to feel a little nervous.

"You okay?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, just a little nervous" I said quietly.

"Don't worry. Everyone will love you."

We opened the doors and walked in. The place was jam packed with bodies. A guy, with honey-coloured hair came running up towards Alice. He gave her a kiss on the lips. "Hey Babe."

"Jasper, this is Bella" Alice said.

"Hi" I waved.

"Hi" he said back. "You have to come save me from your Aunt" he said towing Alice away.

"Bella, go have fun." Alice shouted as she was dragged away into the crowd of people.

Okay. I can do this. Maybe if I start by going to the bar and ordering a drink. As I made my way over a few people from work waved at me and I waved back.

As I got closer to the bar. My heart skipped a beat as I saw Edward sitting there, looking smoking hot in his crisp, black suit. Underneath he was wearing a white shirt with the top three buttons undone. I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from drooling. Why did Alice have to invite him? Why did he have to be so gorgeous and why had he rejected me?

Maybe I should go talk to him, show that there are no hard feelings. That's when I saw the girl come over and sit in his lap, combing her fingers lovingly through his hair. It was obvious that he had never had any feelings for me and I had imagined that there was some sort of spark between us.

I spun around and walked in the opposite direction away from Edward and the girl. I found some people I knew from work and went up to talk to them.

"Wow. Bella you look hot" Soph said. She was a paramedic who worked with Alice.

"Thanks" I said.

"Do you want to go get a drink?" she asked.

"No thank you" There was no way I was going back over to the bar. I didn't want to risk running into Edward.

"Okay, well I'll see you around later" she walked away.

Some people had started making their way over to the dance floor. Out of nowhere Alice came up behind me, grabbed my arm and dragged me over to dance. "Come on Bella"

"Alice, let me go. I can't dance" I was starting to panic. Alice was unbelievably strong for someone as petite as she was.

"It's easy. Just move your body in time with the music like this" she said swaying her body side to side.

I began by just moving my feet from side to side and as I got more confident I started to rock my hips and imitate what I saw Alice doing.

"See, you got it" she said smiling at me. Jasper had appeared behind her and had his hands on her hips moving with her body.

I was really starting to get into the dance and that's when I fell. Why wasn't I on the floor? Someone had caught me. I could feel their strong arms wrapped around me.

I turned my head to see who had caught me. It was Edward. I quickly stood up, extracting myself from his arms. "Thanks" I mumbled to him.

"Hi Bella" he said, smiling that crooked smile of his.

"Hi" I replied tersely.

"How've you been?" he continued.

"Like you care" I spat. I couldn't help it. He was pretending as if he hadn't turned me down.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said loudly with a quizzical expression.

I looked around and saw a sea of faces staring at us, arguing. I didn't want to be here, luckily Alice intervened.

"Guys, maybe you should move this to somewhere a little quieter."

"Butt out of this Alice" Edward shouted.

I couldn't believe how rude he was being to her.

Jasper got involved. "Edward, maybe you should listen to your sister."

WHAT?

"Wait a minute. He's your brother?" I asked Alice pointing to Edward.

"Yeah. He's normally not so grumpy" she said whacking him on the arm.

"Sorry Alice, but I think I'm going to go" I said walking away.

"Bella, please stay" she begged.

"No. I'm calling it a night"

I walked out of the bar after saying goodbye to some people from work. I walked along the sidewalk trying to hail a cab. I was still mad with Edward, where was all this anger coming from? I had certainly seen a different side to him tonight.

I had finally hailed a cab. I opened the door and started to climb in.

**A/N Doesn't look too good for Bella and Edward at the moment :( Next chapter will be EPOV. I'm going to try and put links up on my profile so you can see Alice and Bella's dresses. As always let me know what you think. Thanks :)**


	10. Kiss Me

**A/N Thanks again for all the lovely reviews. Here's Edward's point of view for the party. Hope you like it. Italics are used for earlier on in the day. Bold is for what's happening now.**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did.**

Chapter 10.

**EPOV**

After calming Alice down I went running out of Ike's after Bella. She had hailed a cab and was just climbing in. "Bella, wait" I shouted, still running towards the cab.

"Go back to the party Edward. I don't want to talk to you." I couldn't understand why she was so mad at me.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me Bella."

"Well you'll have a long wait" she said as she sat down and went to close the door.

I grabbed the door with my hand and pulled it back open. "Move over" I said as I sat down, shoving her over to the other side.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Edward?" she asked crossly.

"I told you that I wasn't leaving until we talked Bella"

"So talk" the cab moved off and I could feel the waves of hostility rolling off of her. When had everything gone so wrong? I had been having a really good day up until now.

_It was the day of Alice and Jasper's engagement party. Last night I had worked my last graveyard shift before a few days off. I woke up at two in the afternoon. I had a shower and made myself some lunch. _

_It was only three-thirty in the afternoon and the party didn't start until nine. I wasn't due at Jasper's until eight-thirty. Apparently Alice was going round to a friend's house to get ready after work. Jasper was scared that he would be the only person on time and didn't want to be stood around looking like a lemon, so I had agreed to meet up with him. _

_What was I going to do until then? I walked over to the corner and picked up my guitar. Once again I ended up singing that song that reminded me of Bella. I put the guitar away as I was no longer enjoying playing it. With the thought of Bella came a feeling of sadness, as I would never see her again._

_Maybe some TV would take my mind off of her. I flicked through the channels. I ended up watching a music channel as there was nothing else on. This was fine until Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl started playing. Bella's eyes were a deep, chocolate brown. So yet again I had been reminded about Bella. I need to get out of here to clear my head. I picked up a book and left the apartment._

_It was a sunny day so I got the El to Grant Park. I spent the rest of the day sat down in front of the fountain, reading my book. I could feel the cool breeze on my face and every once in a while a little spray coming off the fountain. _

_A few hours later, after popping home to change, I was on my way to Jasper's and I started to think of Bella again. Why couldn't I get her out of my mind? I had to accept that she was out of my life now and I needed to move on. That was one of the reasons that I had agreed to go to the party tonight. Maybe I would meet someone new who could help me get over my obsession. _

_I arrived at Alice and Jasper's place. His first words were a warning. "You know Alice has gone to get ready at her friend's apartment. I think she's planning to set you two up" he couldn't help but smirk at the thought of this._

_"When will she stop meddling in my love life. I'm twenty six years old and can get my own dates." I said frustrated. _

_"Hey, preaching to the choir here" he said raising his arms up in surrender. "I've told her to stop meddling but you know what she's like"_

_"Yeah" I sighed._

_Twenty minutes later we were in a cab on our way to Ike's. We arrived at Ike's a little after nine. The place was deserted. It looked like we were the first ones here. _

_"See. This is what I said would happen, If you hadn't agreed to meet me I would be stood here on my own, looking like Billy no mates." Jasper said._

_"I thought that Alice at least would be here" I said kind of grateful that she wasn't here with 'the friend'. If she didn't arrive until later it wouldn't be as easy for her to set us up. This was a good thing, Alice had some... how do I put this; interesting friends. _

_"Have you met Alice ?" Jasper asked. "She's always late. I'm not expecting her to come walking down the aisle until at least an hour after the ceremony has started" he laughed._

_"Yeah, she's never been one for time keeping I guess. But I thought that as she had organized all this she would be here early, checking it was running smoothly" I replied._

_Soon enough the place started filling up. I sat at the bar waiting for the JD and Coke I had just ordered. I saw Jessica walking towards me. "Hi Edward" she drooled as she sat down on my lap. Ugh, why did she have to be here? _

"_How have you been?" she asked pawing at my hair. Gross. _

"_Jessica" I started "Not to be rude or anything, but could you get the hell off of me" I said pushing her off. Does she have no shame? It was embarrassing the way she continually threw herself at me. _

_Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone who looked a lot like Bella turning and walking away from where I was sat. Could she really be here?_

_I got up from my bar stool and walked over to where I had seen the girl that looked a lot like Bella. She had disappeared. Whilst I was scanning the room looking for any sign of Bella, Jasper came waltzing up to me._

_"Enjoying yourself?" he asked slapping me across the back. He was a little bit drunk. _

_"Do either you or Alice invite someone called Bella?" I asked. The only way she would be here is if they had asked her. _

_"Bella, Bella..." he rolled her name off while looking up towards the ceiling, clearly trying to remember the name. "Oh. I remember now. Bella is the friend that Alice was getting ready with. You know, the one I think that Alice is trying to set you up with." He said, nudging me in the ribs. _

_I can't believe Alice . She knows I've been miserable since the day I thought I'd lost Bella for ever. She's known Bella for who knows how long and didn't tell me. "Where's Alice ?" I asked crossly._

_"Over there on the dance floor" he pointed to Alice and Bella. As Jasper walked over to Alice I just stood there staring. My heart started to race as I took in the beauty that was Bella. She was wearing a revealing blue dress that highlighted her assets. I couldn't help smiling as I watched Bella dancing, to begin with she was very tentative but she was getting more and more confident. She looked so god damn sexy rocking her hips side to side. I wasn't normally one for dancing, but seeing Bella there I had to join her. _

_She stumbled and started to fall, luckily I reached her just in time. I relished the brief bit of contact I had with Bella in my arms before she quickly disengaged herself from my hold. _

The conversation with Bella after I had rescued her did not go at all well. That's why I was in the cab with her now. I needed to know what I had done that had made her so upset.

"Bella, why are you so mad at me?" I asked.

"Like you don't already know" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"I don't" I replied.

"I gave you my number and explained that I had feelings for you. You didn't even have the courtesy to call and say you weren't interested. Then when I see you again it's obvious that you have a girlfriend."

"Bella, you never gave me your number" she must be confused. "The girl in the bar is one of Alice's friend. I went out on one date with her two years ago and that was it. It's not my fault that she doesn't understand that I'm just not interested."

"I did give you my number, it was in the note that I asked Dr Ryder to pass onto you"

"Bella. Dr Ryder never passed any note to me." I was going to kill Emmett the next time I saw him. How could he not tell me that she had left me a note. I'm not sure that I'll ever forgive him for this.

"I can't believe I'm saying this. But, I actually believe you" Bella said.

She calmed down and we started to talk about what had been happening in our lives for the past couple of weeks. Turns out that Bella started working at the firehouse this week, that's how Alice and her met. Bella told me that she had recognized Alice but didn't think that Alice had recognized her.

After an awkward moment Bella invited me up to her apartment for a coffee. I couldn't believe my luck. Not only had I run into my dream girl but I was now going back to her place. She had said that we would be alone as her roommate was staying at her boyfriend's. This had to be too good to be true.

Before we got to coffee, Bella put on a CD and a slow song started to play.

"Care to dance?" I asked. I couldn't help it I had wanted to dance with her since seeing her earlier at Ike's.

"Okay" she mumbled, biting down on her lip nervously. Doe's she know how cute she looks when she does that?

I took her hand in mine and brought her body close against mine. My heart sped up with the close contact. I moved my arms to the small of her back and rested my head in her hair. I took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. She smelt as beautiful as she looked. I lightly kissed the top of her head, unable to control myself.

We slow-danced for a few more minutes before I couldn't control my desire to kiss her any longer. I moved my hand up to her face, softly brushing her hair out of her face. I softly whispered to her "Your face is so beautiful, I never want to blink again" She tilted her chin so that she was now looking into my eyes, she was smiling. I saw her lightly lick her lips, indicating that she wanted this to happen just as much as I did. I moved in and our lips met. I felt a jolt of electricity run through my body. Did she feel it to?

The phone began to ring and reluctantly I pulled away "Shouldn't you answer that?" I asked my voice coming out a little husky.

"No. The machine can get it. Where were we" she initiated the kiss this time. She lightly brushed her lips against mine. I began to deepen the kiss when I heard the message being left on the answer machine.

"Hi Bella, it's Jake. I thought you loved me?"

Once again it was me who pulled away from the kiss.

What the fuck!

She had a boyfriend!

**A/N I'm going to apologize now. I'm going away for the weekend (playoffs) so I won't be able to update until next week. Don't worry though I will be taking a pen and paper so I can carry on working with the story. I am putting a playlist up on my profile with links to the songs for the chapters. Any suggestions etc... please let me know. Thanks :) **


	11. Ride

**A/N Hi everyone. I'm back. As a reward for you all waiting so patiently I have written my longest chapter so far! Hope you enjoy it.**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 11.

**BPOV**

"Hi Bella, it's Jake. I thought you loved me?" he said with an audible sneer.

For the second time that night Edward broke away from kissing me. Shit. He must have heard the message. I looked at him, he didn't look happy, and also a little confused. There was an awkward silence between us. I was waiting for Edward to speak first.

"Bella, I don't understand you. Earlier on you told me that you had feelings for me, bring me back to your place, we kiss. Then I find out you have a boyfriend! Is this just a game to you?" he said, pacing up and down the length of the room.

"Edward, he's not my boyfriend. I mean he was, but it's over and well I guess he's not accepted that." I didn't give him all the details about the break-up. I only added "It was a bad break-up, but if you don't mind I'd rather not go into it." Hopefully, he would give me the benefit of the doubt, like I had done for him earlier.

He appeared to be mulling it over in his head. I bit down on my bottom lip, nervously awaiting Edward's response. I don't know what I would do if he didn't believe me. The kiss had been amazing. I felt sparks as our mouths had met. Whatever this thing between Edward and I was, I wanted to explore it further and hoped he did too.

Finally, he spoke "Bella, I want us to happen," the corner of his lips turning up into that crooked smile of his.

"Me too" I smiled. I was about to go up and kiss him. As I remembered the last kiss it brought with it the memory of Jacob's message. "Maybe, we should take this slow. If Jacob finds out about us, I'm not sure how he would react to it." I made it sound as if I were concerned about Jacob's feelings. In reality I was worried what he might do to Edward if he knew that we were dating.

I couldn't shake the feeling that Jacob was out there, watching me. I could try going to the police and telling them about the phone calls. I know that they would just tell me he wasn't breaking the law. I wasn't prepared to tell them that he shot me, because then he would end up in jail. I didn't want that to happen. I know he's only doing these things because of his drinking problem. He needs help not jail. I know the man I love is still there, somewhere.

Edward took hold of my hands, bringing me out of my thoughts. "If you want to take things slow, I understand and respect that" he said softly. "I'm just happy to be spending time with you Bella."

"Thank you, Edward" I replied. I really was grateful that he was prepared to be patient and take things slowly.

"I take it you're not working tomorrow?" he smirked.

"No, you?" I asked back.

"No. If you don't have any plans, I was err wondering if you umm might like to go to the art institute with me?" His nervousness at asking me out was adorable.

"Let me just consult my diary" I said. I stood there for a few minutes doing my best impression of being deep in thought, before continuing "I'm free and would love to accompany you to the art institute, Edward" I had that familiar feeling in my stomach already.

"So how do you want to do this? I can meet you here or, if you prefer we could meet at the institute."

"I think it's probably best that we meet at the institute" Jacob may be watching the apartment, but he wouldn't follow me.

"Shall we say two o'clock outside the main entrance?"

"Okay"

"Till tomorrow" he glanced down at his watch, "well later today" he chuckled. He leaned in, placing a chaste kiss on my lips before leaving.

I was so excited. I had to tell someone. I could have called Alice, but it might be a little weird for her, what with Edward being her brother. I settled on texting Angela. As I typed the message I kept making little mistakes. My fingers were shaking from my excitement.

Eventually I managed to send the message. It read ' Hi Ang, got a date with Edward tomorrow. Yay J' I waited impatiently for my cell to beep, with Angela's reply.

Beep. I flicked the phone open, using only my thumb. Her reply read 'That's great Bella. Just one question, who's Edward?'

How could she forget someone so achingly, good looking? I quickly text back ' He's the ER Doc who came and saw me when I was in hospital.'

I waited patiently for her reply, it never came. It was now two o'clock in the morning and I was shattered so I packed myself off to bed, having set my alarm for ten in the morning. That would give me ample time to get up and get ready before I was meeting Edward.

I was woken up at nine am by the phone ringing. Who calls at this time on a Sunday morning? I thought grumpily. "Hello" I answered with a yawn.

"Hi Bella, it's Alice."

"Hi Alice."

"So, what happened between you and Edward last night?" I was shocked by how interested she was in her brother's love life.

"What makes you think anything happened?" I asked.

"Well, he went running after you and he just popped round thanking us for the party. He had the biggest grin on his face."

"Why didn't you ask Edward what happened?"

"I did Bella, He wouldn't tell me anything?"

"So what makes you think that I'm going to tell you?"

"Because you're a girl, and it's what us girls do, we tell each other everything. Please Bella" she pleaded.

We spent the next ten minutes talking about what had occurred between Edward and I last night.

"Do you know what you're wearing?" Alice asked.

"I hadn't realized there was a dress code for visiting an art institute."

"Don't worry. I'm on my way round to help you."

"Alice you don't…" but it was too late, she had already hung up.

About twenty minutes and one shower later I buzzed Alice in.

"You're not planning on wearing that are you?" she asked, with disdain.

Knowing that Alice was on her way round, I had just slung on some sweats. "I'm not that bad Alice" I said in exasperation.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Don't worry about it. Do you want something to drink?" I asked.

"No thanks. I just need to know where your closet is."

"It's on the left-hand side, in my room." She disappeared, no doubt scrutinizing every item of clothing I owned.

"Where's the rest of your clothes Bella?" Alice called.

Was she being serious? My closet was filled to the brim!

"That is all my clothes" I shouted back.

"Oh. I'm sure there will be something in here I can work with. Edward said he liked that dress on you, especially the colour." I could hear hangers rattling as I walked into my bedroom.

"Did Edward really say that?" I asked.

"I wouldn't have said he did if he hadn't. Blue's his favourite colour by the way" she smiled.

I filed that little nugget of information away in my brain for use later on. "Did he say anything else about me?" I asked nervously. I couldn't help blurting it out. I wanted to know what he thought about me.

"Edward's a very secretive person Bella. I'm still surprised he even told me that. Perfect" she pulled out a midnight blue, v-neck sweater, admiring it.

Ten minutes later I was stood in front of the mirror, looking at my outfit. Alice had dressed me in a short, black, pleated skirt and the blue v-neck sweater.

"Now, what should we do with your hair? I know, do you have some bobby pins?"

"Over there" I pointed to my dresser.

Five minutes and about twenty bobby pins later, Alice had my hair in a perfect chignon. She finished my hair with a cute, little barrette, on the left side of my head.

I wore a horseshoe necklace, apparently this was for luck. Although Alice was confident that I wouldn't need it. She felt sure that Edward was completely smitten with me. I wish I felt as confident of his feelings for me as she was. Sure, he liked me and wanted there to be an 'us,' but other than that I wasn't certain how he felt.

"Nearly forgot, we still have to find you the perfect shoes." Alice exclaimed.

"Alice, please can I wear flats. I'm going to be doing a lot of walking today. Plus I have blisters from the shoes I wore last night." I put on my best puppy dog face.

"Okay, just this once" she sighed, holding up her index finger to emphasize her point.

I hugged her "Thank you" I was happy to have won, on this occasion. My feet were still rather sore from having worn heels. Don't get me wrong, the shoes had been gorgeous, but I was paying the price for that beauty today.

"Are you ready for this?" Alice asked.

Was it time already? The butterflies in my stomach had reappeared. I had mixed emotions of both happiness and apprehension.

"I guess" I said quietly.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine" Alice said with a reassuring pat on my shoulder. We left the apartment. Before I jumped into a cab I hugged Alice. "Thanks again"

"You're welcome" she smiled, before walking off to go catch the El.

I got into the backseat. "Where to M'am?" the driver asked, having swivelled his head round to face me.

"Grant park please" I replied.

The cab had only just pulled up and it was already ten past two! I still had some ground to cover before I got to the art institute. I quickly paid the driver before I started running through the park. Please still be there I repeated to myself over and over. I couldn't really blame Edward if he hadn't waited, I was almost fifteen minutes late now.

I turned the corner and saw someone with bronze-coloured hair, staring at his watch and nervously glancing from left to right. Yes, he was still here. He looked in my direction and waved. I waved back and then fell over. Great, and after I had been doing so well. I had to fall over in front of Edward. I felt my cheeks begin to blush.

"Edward came running towards me "Bella are you okay?" he asked, taking my hand, helping me up. Just his touch brought back the sparks from last night.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little embarrassed" I replied meekly.

"Bella you're bleeding" he said, having inspected my hand. Sure enough I had a little graze on my palm. "I better clean it" he went into Doctor mode. He squirted some water from his bottle on it, then carefully wiped away the dried blood and dirt with a tissue. Then he brought my hand up to his mouth and softly kissed my palm. "Better?" he asked, looking into my eyes.

"Hmm. Much better thanks." It had taken me a moment to register what he had asked. I had been a little distracted by the feeling his kiss had produced.

"Shall we?" he took my hand in his, interlocking his fingers with mine as he towed me into the building.

As we walked I explained that I was late due to being caught up in traffic and I didn't have his cell number to call him and let him know.

We spent the rest of the afternoon casually strolling around the institute hand in hand. Edward talked passionately about all the different works of art. I listened intently, hanging on his every word. I was amazed at the level of detail he could go into about all the separate pieces. He had an excellent memory.

We stopped off for a coffee in the café. We sat opposite each other, staring into the other's eyes. "Did you enjoy today?" Edward asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yes. I also enjoyed the free tour guide" I smiled.

"Sorry about that. I do have a tendency to get a little carried away when it comes to art. It's one of my hobbies."

"Don't be sorry. I think it's great that you have something you're so passionate about. Is there anything else you're passionate about?" I asked.

"The Blackhawk's" he replied.

I looked over at him confused.

"Their a hockey team" he said having understood where the confusion laid. He added "Have you ever seen a game?"

"No" I answered.

"Maybe, the next time I'm able to get to a game I'll take you" he said smiling.

"I'd like that" I smiled back. I wasn't just saying it to please him. I genuinely wanted to go to a game. Angela had been to a few games with Ben. When she got home she always said how much she enjoyed it and what a great atmosphere there was.

"What about you, any hobbies or passions?" Edward asked.

"Just cooking really" I occasionally drew as well, but I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a hobby.

"So your new job is perfect for you then."

"I suppose so" I hadn't really thought about my job in that way before, but I guess he was right. My job was kind of perfect for me.

"I hope Alice doesn't bug you too much. I know she can be a little bit meddlesome at times. She means well though."

"No, I think Alice is great" I had only known her for a short amount of time. I already considered her one of my closest friends.

We stayed in the café talking until we were asked to leave. They were closing. I looked at my watch, we had been talking for an hour and a half. It seemed like we had only sat down five minutes ago. I loved talking to Edward. We were so comfortable around one another.

After leaving the café we walked hand in hand alongside Lake Michigan. He wrapped me in his leather jacket when I began to shiver. We would have to go soon as we both had work tomorrow. Edward had a shift that started at seven am.

I wished I could stay here, looking across the lake with Edward's arms wrapped around my waist and his head resting on my shoulder. I could feel his breath against my neck, it gave me goose bumps. I didn't want this day to ever end.

A few minutes later it was time to leave each other. Edward wanted to escort me home, I told him that it was better not to. Besides I was fine getting a cab home. He gave in, but wasn't happy about it.

I began to take his jacket off. "What are you doing?" he said, pulling the jacket back on my shoulder. "I don't want you to freeze."

"What about you?" I asked, conscious that he didn't have a jacket.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

We swapped cell numbers. We had reached the point of the night where it was traditional to kiss one another good night. I had been waiting for this moment all afternoon. The butterflies in my stomach went into overdrive, my knees went weak and my palms were sweaty.

We stood opposite each other, looking longingly into each others eyes. As Edward started to lean in, angling his face I did the same. I waited until his lips brushed against mine before closing my eyes. His mouth caressed mine tenderly. The kiss became more urgent and passionate as I sucked on his bottom lip. At the touch of his tongue I parted my lips, allowing him entrance to my mouth. As we massaged each others tongues and the intensity grew I felt Edward's hand cupping my face. My hand was entwined in his hair, pulling him closer to me. Too soon the kiss was over and we were on our way home.

On the way home I buried my head into the leather jacket I was wearing. I took in deep breaths, inhaling Edward's smell. He smelt divine. I couldn't get enough of it.

I went to sleep replaying that kiss in my head again and again. It was everything I wanted and more.

The next morning, at breakfast I filled Angela in on the details of mine and Edward's date. I was interrupted by my cell beeping. I had received a text message from Edward. I clicked read and waited impatiently for the few seconds it took to open. 'Hi Bella, just wanted to say I had a great time yesterday. Can't wait to see you again. Ed xx' I showed Angela the text and we both squealed like little school girls. I was in heaven and this was just the beginning of the relationship. Angela headed off to work and I began cleaning the dishes.

The phone rang "Hello" I answered.

"Hello Bella" it was Jacob. He'd never called this early before.

"Leave me alone Jake" I said.

"Where's lover boy?" he asked.

"Leave him out of this" This was the most I had spoken to Jacob since I had left him.

"Are things not going so well?" he was taunting me now.

"I'm hanging up now" and I did. After I hung up I dialled *69 but it came up as number withheld.

I walked to work with a spring in my step. Even the call from Jake hadn't been able to bring me down from my state of euphoria.

I walked into work smiling. Alex came up to me "Hello Bella, good weekend?" he asked.

"Wonderful" I answered before swanning off to the kitchen. I put the stereo on and started singing along to the radio. "Someone's happy" one of the guys shouted from the TV room. I took out my cell and typed 'I miss you' and pressed send. It took only seconds before he answered 'miss you too xx' Maybe I should arrange another meeting, I still couldn't get that kiss out of my mind. I wanted another one.

"So how did it go yesterday?" Alice came bounding up to me. I still couldn't get over how much she wanted to know about my relationship with her brother. When I mentioned the kiss, she said that she didn't want all the details. I just told her it was the most amazing kiss of my life.

"So when are you seeing him again?" she said, biting on one of the carrots I had just cut.

"I'm not sure. We haven't exactly made any plans yet" I shrugged.

"Then make some" she said, as if it were painfully obvious.

I decided that I would wait until lunch time before calling Edward.

"Okay, I'll give him a call at lunch" I told Alice.

"Yay" she beamed.

Then Soph shouted "Alice, we've got to go."

"See ya Bella"

"Bye Alice" I waved, before going back to my stirring.

At lunchtime I found a quiet corner and called Edward. I waited nervously for him to answer as the phone rang. Just as I was about to give up I heard his velvet smooth tone "Hello"

"Hi Edward, it's Bella" I said anxiously.

"Hi. I was just about to call you"

"Really? What about?" I asked.

"I wondered if you were free tomorrow night?"

"Yes I am" I said, with a little more enthusiasm then I had intended to show.

"Great. How about dinner and a movie?"

"That works for me" I replied.

"There's this great little place not that far from the hospital. It's called Bella Italia, have you heard of it?"

"Yes" I reply. They have a great mushroom risotto.

"So, I thought you could come to the ER and meet me there. If we say about seven thirty. Is that good for you?"

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow night, seven thirty in the ER" I repeated, making sure I had heard all the details correctly.

"Yeah, I can't wait. Sorry Bella, I've got to go. See you tomorrow. Bye"

"Bye"

"Was that my brother you were talking to?" Alice asked, making me jump.

I turned around. "Yes, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know he's taking you to Bella Italia tomorrow night" she answered. "What are you wearing for the date?" she was obsessed with what I was wearing.

"Probably something like what I'm wearing now. It's just dinner and a movie. Besides I'm not going to have time to go home and change"

"I guess" she sighed unenthusiastically.

"Anyway, I don't think it's my clothes that Edward's attracted to. The first time he saw me I was wearing a hospital gown. Not the most flattering of outfits" I laughed.

I never imagined that being shot would turn out to be one of the best things to have happened to me.

**A/N Hope you liked it and that it was worth the wait. **


	12. Your Song

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews please keep them coming I do take into account what you are saying.**

**I know some of you are getting frustrated with Bella's lack of action re: Jacob, please bear with me it will be resolved, but not for a while. **

**Sorry for the wait I'm suffering the dreaded writers block. I know where I want to go with the story it's just getting there.**

**As there's a bit of medical jargon I will put an explanation of what the words mean at the bottom of the chapter.**

**Chapter 12.**

**EPOV**

I drove to the hospital, unable to get the mind-blowing kiss from last night out of my head.

I got to work with a couple of minutes to spare. I wanted to let Bella know that I was thinking of her. I quickly typed out a message and hit send.

"Hi Edward" Rosalie said, walking into the Doctor's Lounge.

"Hi Rosalie" I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee. "Want one?" I asked, lifting the coffee cup.

"Sure" she replied.

Feeling a little awkward, I said "So, umm Rosalie, did you know about the note?" I passed her one of the cups of coffee.

"What note?" she asked back.

"The note that Bella gave Emmett, to pass on to me"

"Edward, I told him that he should give it to you. It wasn't his place to interfere"

Our conversation was interrupted by a trauma coming in.

"What have we got?" I asked, grabbing hold of one end of the gurney.

"56 year old male, experiencing chest pain, syncope . Had a drop in blood pressure after we administered nitro-glycerine. Patient has no known medical problems, medications or allergies."

"Thanks guys" I say as the paramedics leave.

"Pulse 60, BP 90/60" Rosalie reads off, having checked the patient's vitals.

"Sir I need to listen to your chest" I say, placing the ear-piece of my stethoscope in my ears. "Lungs are clear. Heart is regular without murmur" I say to my colleagues, wrapping my stethoscope back around my neck.

"Lets do an EKG and Chest X -ray"

As I put the x-ray up on the board and begin to examine it I can see a widening of the mediastinum. I look at the print out from the EKG and recognise LVH.

"I need the ultrasound machine" I shout out.

"Here you go" Rosalie says passing the portable ultrasound machine to me.

I move the transducer over his chest, examining his aorta "Looks like he has an aortic dissection. Let's call surgery and send him up to CT"

As we wheeled the patient to the elevator, Emmett caught up to us "56 year old male with aortic dissection, he's going up to CT to ascertain what type of dissection. Can you take it from here?" I ask, thrusting the chart into Emmett's hand.

"Sure" the elevator doors closed and I walked back to admit to pick up the next case.

Although it's been a busy shift I manage to find a few spare minutes to go and have a bite to eat. I'm walking up to the canteen when my cell goes off.

I answer "Hello"

"Hi Edward, it's Bella" she says in her sweet, angelic voice.

I had just been thinking about calling her. Looks like she beat me to it.

I had to end the conversation when my pager started beeping. They needed me back in the ER. So much for getting some lunch!

My shift had just ended and I was totally wiped out. We had got slammed with about fifty patients from a chemical explosion.

"Corona please" I said, taking a seat on the bar stool.

I had planned to sit here for the next hour or so, relaxing and calming down from my hectic shift. I heard a booming laugh, coming from the entrance. I knew that laugh, it was Emmett's.

"Hey Edward, what's up?"

"You're a jerk. That's what's up." I all but shouted at him.

"Okay. Hostile much" he said backing away, acting as if it were all a joke."

"This isn't a fucking joke Emmett." I shouted.

"Man, what did I do?" he said, adopting a serious tone.

"More like what you didn't do" I snarled.

"Edward, you're going to have to help me out here. I don't know what you're talking about or why you're so mad at me."

"I ran into Bella this weekend. You remember the GSW from about a month ago, the one you thought I was getting too attached to." I could see the panic in his eyes. "Interesting thing is she says that she left a note for me. Gave it to you to pass on to me. Got an explanation as to why I never got that note?" I was staring daggers at him by this point.

"I umm. Well you see I thought er…" he struggled to explain his actions.

"That's what I thought" I slammed my bottle down on the bar, emphasizing how upset I was with him. " I thought we were friends Emmett"

"We are" he said, looking concerned.

"A friend would have given me the note"

"Edward I was doing what I thought was best. She was a patient…"

"Don't start with the Doctor patient shit again. You know that didn't apply anymore. She was leaving the hospital and she hadn't been my patient since she had been on your service. You saw how miserable I became after losing her but still you didn't tell me. You didn't just hurt me in the process. Bella was left feeling rejected. She went out on a limb for me and she thought that I didn't care for her and that I was an ass who didn't have the decency to call and let her know that I didn't have feelings for her." I laid it all out there for him to hear.

"Edward, I'm sorry man. I didn't realize"

"Yeah Emmett, you never do, your actions have consequences."

"We're okay though, right?" he asked, with a cocky smile.

"Sorry Emmett. I don't know right now. I may never be able to forgive you for this." I saw the look of hurt spread across his face. We had been friends since med school. I felt betrayed by him. I could act civil at work. Outside of work we weren't friends anymore though.

I got off the stool and went to leave. When I reached the door I turned round. "By the way Emmett, you're interfering didn't work. Bella and I are a couple."

Having said my piece I left, picked up my car and drove back home.

I woke up and the first thing I thought about was Bella. I couldn't wait to see her again. In thirteen and a half hours I would be doing just that. I had booked a table for eight o'clock, I had requested a private table, in the back. I didn't want any interruptions. I wanted to be able to focus all my attention on my dream girl. I would let her choose what movie we saw, I was prepared to watch a chick flick if that's what she wanted. I didn't really care about the movie, all I cared about was spending time with Bella.

I showered, got dressed, made some breakfast and was out the door in thirty minutes. I got the El to work.

My first patient was an IV Drug user who had developed a case of infective endocarditis. Why did people do this to themselves? I tried my best to talk them into rehab. It's like talking to a brick wall though. A person suffering from any form of addiction can't be helped until they admit that they have a problem and want help. This element of the job could be very frustrating.

The rest of the day was unusually quiet and I spent my time catching up on my charting. The hours dragged by, all I wanted was for it to be the end of my shift so that I could see Bella.

Finally it was seven o'clock. After bringing the night shift up to date on who was in the ER and what consults we were waiting for I went to change. I wore a pair of jeans, and a shirt. I didn't feel the need to get too dressed up. It was only dinner and a movie after all.

It was seven fifteen. I had fifteen minutes before I was scheduled to meet Bella. I ran up to the hospital gift shop to buy some flowers for her. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. I stood there, perplexed by the choice, unsure what Bella would like. Luckily the girl at the counter came up and offered me some advice. I settled on a bunch of pink Gerberas.

By the time I arrived back in the ER, Bella was already there, talking to Tanya at admit. I walked over and gave Bella a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey you" I softly whispered.

"Hi" she replied.

"These are for you" I handed her the flowers.

"Edward, these are beautiful. Thank you" she grinned.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Bye Tanya, it was nice meeting you" she waved, before I took her hand in mine.

It didn't take long for us to reach Bella Italia. "Hi, I have a table booked in the name of Cullen" I said.

"Yes Sir. Right this way please. When we reached the table the host went to pull the chair out for Bella. I swiftly moved my hands over to the back of her chair "I've got it from here, thanks" I wanted to do this part.

"Thanks" she said.

I moved to the opposite side of the table and took my own seat. A few minutes later the waiter came up to the table to take our drinks order.

"Would you like to share a bottle of wine?" I asked Bella.

"Yes" she replied.

"Can we have a bottle of house white please" I told the waiter.

The waiter came back a few minutes later with a bottle. I tested the wine "Yes, that's fine" I acknowledged, before he poured more wine into my glass and then poured a glass for Bella. He said that he would be back for our food orders.

I glanced over the menu, contemplating all the options. I looked up to find Bella just sitting there "Aren't you going to look at the menu?" I asked.

"No. I already know what I want" she smiled.

When our waiter came back I let Bella order first.

"I'll have the mushroom risotto please" she said, handing the menu back to the waiter.

"Spaghetti Bolognese for me, please"

Whilst we waited for our food to be served, we chatted about how our day had been. I told Bella that my day had been okay but was much better now I was with her.

"Mushroom Risotto for the lady, and Spaghetti Bolognese for the gentleman" the waiter said while placing our respective dishes in front of us.

"Thanks" we said in unison.

I was ravenous and tucked right in to my meal. Between mouthfuls I asked, "What do you want to go see?"

"Sorry?" Bella queried.

"What movie do you want to see?" I reiterated.

"I don't know. There's this one film I wouldn't mind seeing. Not sure you would like to see it though because it's a rom-com."

Before I had the chance to reply I heard Bella giggling.

"What?" I chuckled, wanting to be in on the joke.

"Umm… you've got a little" she trailed off pointing to the corner of her mouth.

I went to wipe my mouth, this set Bella off again.

"Nope, missed it," her little laugh was so cute.

I went to try again but apparently failed to get it again.

"Here let me" she said, tracing the corner of my mouth with her index finger. Her finger lingered on my mouth, a few seconds longer than necessary. I couldn't stop myself placing a gentle kiss on the tip of it. She pulled away and resumed eating.

There was a charged atmosphere between us for the remainder of the meal. I reminded myself that I had agreed that we would take this slow. Part of me wanted to pay the check and take her back to my apartment, where we would make love all night long. What was I? A lust-filled teenager? I was bigger than this. We were not going to rush into anything. This was only our second date!

When the movie started I began to regret my decision. My hormones were going crazy, and it didn't help any being in a darkened room, sat next to the object of my affection. It wasn't a very popular movie. It was only me and Bella and a few other people.

About ten minutes in Bella lifted up the armrest and positioned herself so that her head was laying on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her, enjoying the close contact that we were now sharing. I tried to concentrate on the film, for a rom-com it wasn't at all bad. I would sporadically turn my attention to Bella, watching her watch the screen. She was completely engrossed in what was going on in the movie. Even when I planted kisses on her forehead or cheek, she would just smile to show her appreciation. All the while never taking her eyes off the screen.

It was one of the many new things I had learnt about Bella tonight. I found it very endearing. It was like my passion for art or hockey. Would this girl ever cease to amaze me?

Much too soon the date came to an end. Just like on Sunday I wanted to take Bella home, but once again she said it was probably best that we didn't do that. This ex-boyfriend must be pretty hung up on her. I could understand why, I wouldn't want a girl like Bella slipping through my fingers.

We kissed again, it was just as passionate as our last kiss. Our lips crashed against each other, whilst our tongues battled for dominance. As I came up for air I moved my mouth onto the side of Bella's neck. I slowly nipped and sucked whilst moving my lips down her neck to her collar bone. After a few minutes I had recaptured her mouth with mine. She pulled me closer, moving her hand through my hair. My hand started up on her face and as the kiss intensified my hands moved through her hair and then down the side of her body, coming to a rest on her waist. As we continued I slowly began inching my hands up her stomach - my hormones were getting the better of me. Bella pulled away. "I'm sorry. I'm stopping" I apologized, I had gotten caught up in the moment.

"No, it's okay. I liked it, it's just we had agreed that we would take things slow and not rush anything" she explained, blushing ever so slightly.

"Bella" I took hold of her hands, "I don't want to rush into anything either. I just got a little caught up in the moment."

"It was quite a kiss" she replied.

I made sure she got into a cab safely and kissed her one last time. Not so passionately this time. I didn't want to make either the driver or Bella feel uncomfortable. We had agreed that we would meet up again in a couple of days.

The next few weeks passed rather quickly. Things at work were going well, I had an interview set up for an attending position at the hospital. Emmett and I would behave civilly towards one another when working, though we both tended to bark orders at each other. I still hadn't forgiven him for the whole note situation and he had made no move to apologize for it. The hardest thing with the whole Emmett situation was the impact it had on mine and Rosalie's friendship. It had been hard on her being caught up in the middle of this argument. I didn't see her outside of work anymore because she would always be with Emmett.

Bella and I spent as much time with each other as possible. When we weren't working we would always meet up. We had even double dated with Alice and Jasper. I could see how close Alice and Bella had become in such a short time. Jazz and I would be walking to the bar, or restaurant with Bella and Alice trailing behind arm in arm giggling. I didn't mind though, I was happy that Bella was having such a good time.

When I wasn't working and not with Bella I would spend my time playing my guitar and singing. I was planning a surprise for Bella and I needed to practice to make sure my performance would be flawless. I just hoped that she would like it.

It was open mic night at Ike's and I had put my name down for a set. I hadn't performed in public for a couple of years and as the day went on I became more and more nervous.

I was sat next to Bella in a booth. Alice and Jasper were sat across from us.

"Some of these acts are really good" Bella said, applauding the latest act.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"Edward are you okay?" Bella asked, taking a sip of her Malibu and Coke.

"Yeah, I'm fine" I lied. It was my turn next. I hadn't told anyone what we were really doing here. I had dropped my guitar off with one of the barmen earlier. "Excuse me" I said to Bella, standing up to move out of the booth. She moved to let me out.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'll be back soon" I whispered as I kissed her tenderly on the lips.

I made my way to the stage that had been set up, my palms had become sweaty. Just calm down, you'll be fine. I took a deep breath before picking up my guitar. I walked to the mic and looked across the bar to where I was sitting previously. I saw Bella, she was smiling and looking confused all at once.

I grabbed hold of the mic, my hand quivering a little. "I don't normally do this. I would like to dedicate this song to Bella." I looked over to her to see that her cheeks were flaming crimson red. Alice let out a squeal of excitement as I began to play the song. It was the song that had reminded me of Bella the day we first met. Singing it now though, I meant every word.

It was while I played, all the time staring into Bella's chocolate brown eyes, as if we were the only ones here. I knew that I truly loved her.

**A/N I'm sure you already know but rom-com means romantic comedy.**

**Syncope - loss of consciousness**

**Nitroglycerin - used ****medically**** as a ****vasodilator**** to treat ****heart**** conditions, such as ****angina**** and ****chronic heart failure**

**Heart murmur**** - an abnormal heart sound**

**EKG - Electrocardiography** (**ECG** or **EKG**) **is the recording of the ****electrical**** activity of the ****heart**** over ****time**** via skin electrodes**

**Widened mediastinum - ****a ****mediastinum**** with a measured width greater than 8 cm on PA ****chest X-ray****.**

**LVH - Left ventricular hypertrophy** (**LVH**) **is the thickening of the ****myocardium**** (muscle) of the ****left ventricle**** of the ****heart**

**Transducer -** **Ultrasonic sensors (also known as transducers when they both send and receive) work on a principle similar to radar or sonar which evaluate attributes of a target by interpreting the echoes from radio or sound waves respectively**

**Aortic dissection** **- a tear in the wall of the ****aorta**** that causes ****blood**** to flow between the layers of the wall of the aorta and force the layers apart**

**IV - Intravenous (in the vein)**

**Infective endocarditis** **- a form of ****endocarditis**** caused by infectious agents. The agents are usually bacterial, but other organisms can also be responsible.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm thinking of maybe putting a lemon in the next chapter but I will leave it up to you guys. Let me know what you want :)**

**Thanks to Everclearbabe for the bolognese bit. Check out her story A New Life (I have been helping her with it.)**


	13. I'll be your Lover Too

**A/N Hi guys, thanks for the reviews once again. Due to public demand I have fiddled with my original idea for how the story was going to pan out. I have brought a few things in earlier than I had planned to, but it still works out. Warning this chapter includes a lemon. Please be kind it it the first lemon I have written. Anyway on with the story. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 13.

**BPOV**

What was taking Edward so long? He said he would be back in a few minutes. Why was he being so secretive about what he was doing?

"I don't normally do this" I recognized his velvet voice coming over the sound system. I looked up to see him standing on stage, holding a guitar. The other hand was holding the mic in a vice-like grip. I had never seen him look so nervous.

He locked eyes with me before continuing, "I would like to dedicate this song to Bella"

As everyone in the bar followed Edward's gaze and started staring at me I blushed with embarrassment. Alice, meanwhile squealed a "Whoop" in excitement.

"Did you know about this?" I asked Alice and Jasper. They both shook their heads, no.

When Edward began playing it didn't take long for me to recognize the song as Van Morrison's, I'll be Your Lover Too.

He sang "I'll be your man, I'll understand…" His singing voice had a distinctly raspy edge to it, I found it inexplicably sexy. During the performance we never lost eye contact. It was just me and Edward, it were as if everyone else in the bar had melted away.

Jasper let out a "Woo," pumping his fist into the air as Edward finished. The entire bar was applauding, Edward looked only at me. As I sat clapping, I shook my head, unable to comprehend what had just happened. I was incredibly moved by his gesture.

Never, in my life had anyone done something as thoughtful as this. As Edward made his way back to our booth, I ran to meet him halfway. I jumped into his arms, kissing him passionately. I didn't care that everyone in the bar could see. I loved him and I was pretty sure he loved me.

A few moments later, I slid out of his arms, placing my feet back on the floor. We walked back to the booth, me blushing again and Edward wearing that incredible, crooked smile of his.

"When did you start playing again?" Alice asked Edward.

"I never really gave up. It was about two months ago that I started getting serious with it."

"Pretty tight man" Jasper said, putting his hand out to bump knuckles with Edward.

"Thanks" he replied.

"Edward" I said, turning to face him. "That was amazing" I placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"I'm glad you liked it" he chuckled.

"I really did" I said, catching his mouth in mine once again.

"Ugh, get a room you two" Alice said.

I broke away from the kiss "Sorry" I said sheepishly.

"I'm not" Edward said, nuzzling my neck

"Edward, stop" I giggled, pushing him away. As much as I enjoyed his touch, I knew he was just doing this to annoy Alice.

"Ruin all my fun" he pouted.

"Bella, if you don't have any plans for tomorrow, I was thinking of inviting you over to my place to discuss wedding plans" Alice said, animatedly.

As much as I enjoyed Alice's company, I wasn't sure I wanted to spend my Saturday talking about dresses, flowers and seating arrangements. "Er…" I began, before Edward interrupted me.

"Alice, I kind of had something I wanted to do with Bella" he said sternly.

"Edward, you've been monopolizing all of Bella's free time for weeks now" she retorted.

"Geez Alice, sorry for wanting to spend time with the woman I love"

I looked Edward directly in the eye. "What did you just say?" I asked, wanting to hear him say it again.

"That I wanted to spend time with you?" he said, it sounded more like a question as opposed to a statement.

"Not that" I said with frustration. "The part after"

"The woman I love. I didn't expect to be telling you like this but it's true. I love you Bella" he said softly, looking deep into my eyes.

My heart raced as I heard Edward speak those three words. "I love you to" I admitted. I leaned in to kiss him again.

"On that note, I think it's time for Jazz and I to leave" Alice said as she stood up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys uncomfortable" I apologized.

"Don't be silly Bella. It's not that, it's just that its getting late and we should get going. Also I'm pretty sure that Edward wants some alone time with you" I caught Jasper wink at Edward as she said that last part.

"Maybe we should get going to" Edward said, nibbling on my earlobe.

"Ugh, seriously guys get a room" Alice said, looking down at us, rolling her eyes.

Edward just sat there chuckling. "Come on you" I said, playfully whacking his arm.

"Ow," he feigned being in pain.

We stood at the edge of the sidewalk, having said our goodbyes to Alice and Jasper. Edward made to hail a cab for me. I wrapped my hand around his arm, pulling it down. "Edward, can we go back to your place. There's something I need to tell you" I said.

"Okay" he replied, with a worried expression on his face.

**EPOV**

We stood outside my apartment door. I had been so excited earlier when I had let it accidentally slip out that I loved Bella, and she had told me that she loved me. That's why I couldn't understand why she said that 'she had to tell me something,' whatever it was couldn't be good.

We had hardly said two words to each other on the El trip back to my apartment. Even now we were still awkward around one another. I opened the door, and flicked on the light switch as we walked in. "Can I fix you a drink?" I asked, shrugging my jacket off.

"No, thank you," came her reply, "maybe you should sit down" she said, having already taken a seat herself.

"Okay" I said, sitting down next to her.

"It's about my ex, Jacob" she began. She was shifting about, nervously.

"What is it Bella, you can tell me anything, you know that right" I said, lightly brushing her hair out of her face, my hand lingered on her cheek. She turned her face into the palm of my hand, giving it the gentlest of kisses.

"I don't know where to start"

"Just start at the beginning and take your time" I said soothingly.

She told me about how Jacob and her were high school sweethearts, and how he was her first love. Then she explained that he had developed a drinking problem and how it would make him angry, and he would take his aggression out on her by hitting her. It was the reason that she had moved here, to get away from him.

"That day I came into the ER, it was Jacob who shot me" she ended.

That son of a bitch, how could he treat Bella this way? I thought she had said that her Dad was a cop, how could he let the bastard get away with hurting his daughter.

"Bella, I thought you said your Dad was a cop. Why didn't he have Jacob arrested?" I asked.

"Because I asked him not to. He wasn't happy about it, but I threatened that I would run away and leave no contact details if he interfered. It's the drink that makes Jake do these things, I know he has never stopped loving me and a part of me will probably always love him. He was really sweet and affectionate when he didn't drink. He doesn't mean to do the things he does."

Bella was showing classic signs of a domestic abuse victim. I had seen it many times in the ER. Women would come in "I fell off the ladder", "He got a little angry, he didn't mean to hit me." I had heard all the excuses. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I had to convince Bella that she had to go to the police.

"Bella you have to go to the police" I said softly.

"What, no" she said, standing up. She began walking towards the door.

"Bella, he almost killed you once. What's to stop him doing it again? He's obviously still in the city, going by his phone calls." I walked over to her. "I don't know what I would do if you died. Please, I need you to go to the police. If you love me, you'll do this for me" I pleaded. I detested having to force the issue like this but if it worked it would be worth it. I looked down into her eyes, she was crying.

"Okay, Edward. I'll go to the police tomorrow"

"I can go with you" I said, I began to softly stroke her hair in a calming motion.

"No. This is something I have to do by myself. Thank you for the offer though," she curled her arms up and around my neck and buried her head into my chest. "Can I stay here tonight? I don't want to be alone and Angela is at Ben's"

"Sure, you can sleep in my room and I'll sleep on the couch" I replied. Bella was vulnerable and I wasn't going to take advantage of her.

"Edward, I don't want you to sleep on the couch. I want to sleep in your arms"

I walked into my bedroom, with Bella following. I laid down on the bed and when she laid down she rested her head on my chest. I could hear her sniffling. "It's going to be alright Bella" I said, using my free arm to rub gentle, reassuring caresses up and down her arm. About a half hour later, Bella had cried herself to sleep. Shortly after I fell asleep, with the woman I loved, cradled in my arms.

The next morning I drove Bella to the Police Station and waited in the car, as she gave her statement.

It took about an hour before she walked out. The expression on her face told me that things had not gone well. She got in the car. "How did it go?" I asked.

"They said that they can't do anything as there is nothing tying Jacob to the crime scene."

"What about the phone calls?"

"He's not actually breaking any laws by doing that" she replied. "Look, I don't really want to talk about it. Can you just take me home," she clicked her seatbelt into place and I set off.

We arrived at Bella's apartment and she couldn't get out of the car and away from me fast enough.

"Bella" I called before she shut the door. "We're still on for tonight, right?" I had arranged for us to go to a salsa dancing class.

"Yeah, pick me up at eight" she smiled, but it wasn't her normal full smile. I think she was a little upset with me for making her go to the police. I hoped that she would have forgiven me by tonight.

I had picked Bella up and we were now at the club ready to learn how to salsa. She looked beautiful in her floaty, crimson red dress. She was back to her normal self, the events of earlier today seemingly forgotten.

It took us till the end of the class to get the dance down, we spent most of our time at the back of the class in fits of giggles. We kept getting stern looks from the teacher. Don't get me wrong, the class had been fun but I don't think I would be doing it again. It was Jasper who had suggested it. I think he was trying to set me up though, he probably never thought that I would actually do it. I much preferred slow dancing, where I didn't need to wiggle my hips so much.

We got in my car and Bella stretched her arm across, she was running her hand through my hair. "I want to go back to your place again" she said seductively.

"Okay" I said, leaning across to kiss her.

**BPOV**

We went back to his place where he began playing his guitar once again. I didn't recognize the tune this time. "What are you playing?" I asked. Whatever it was sounded really good.

"It's nothing really. It's just something I've been working on lately," he shrugged.

"You wrote it" I said, a little surprised.

"Yeah, I wrote it for you" he said, quietly, seemingly a little embarrassed.

As he continued to play, he began to hum along in a dulcet tone. I was sat on the couch whilst he was sat across from me, on the edge of the coffee table. I sat there listening to his beautiful music, staring at his handsome face. He was unaware, looking down at his guitar, concentrating on what chords he played. He glanced up briefly, looking lovingly at me, the look mixed the song was too much for me. I leaned in and gently kissed him. He kissed me back, just as gently.

He stopped the kiss, placed his guitar in the corner of the room, before coming over to the couch and taking my hand in his and towing me to his bedroom.

We sat down on the bed and resumed the gentle kissing we had started in the other room. After a few minutes of this I tore my mouth away from his, sweeping my mouth down his jaw line, to his collar bone.

I slowly began to unbutton his shirt, having moved my head away from his neck so that I could admire his body. Having unbuttoned his shirt I gently pushed it off his shoulders, exposing his muscular chest. I showered his chest with feathery, light kisses.

Now that Edward's shirt was off I dragged my hands lightly across his chest, down his chiselled abs, until I reached the buckle of his belt. Whilst I did this we had resumed kissing, only this time it was more passionate. Our tongues moved sensually against one another. Whilst I fumbled with his belt buckle, Edward's hands had moved to my back, where they were slowly unzipping my dress.

Edward pushed the dress off of my shoulders, planting soft kisses and licks across my collar bone. Having undone his pants I tugged lightly, Edward responded by lifting his hips so that I could pull his pants and boxers down in one motion. By this point he had unhooked my bra and peeled it off. I stood up, off the bed so that Edward could finish undressing me.

I stood before him, my hand on his chest. I gently pushed him down on to the bed before climbing on top, straddling him. His hands reached up until he palmed my breasts, moving in circular motions. My nipples hardened as he brushed his thumbs across their peaks. I bit on my bottom lip.

I used my hands to explore Edward's body, starting with his chest and moving down, until I wrapped my fingers around him. A quiet groan, escaped Edward's mouth as I pumped. Unable to suppress it any longer I let out a soft moan.

Edward moved his hands down to my hips, I took my hand away from him, as he flipped me over so that he was now on top. He slid into me, maintaining eye contact. I bucked my hips upwards, synchronizing my movements with his thrusts. His hot, panting mouth came crashing down onto mine. My hands ran up and down his back as the kiss intensified. I wrapped my legs around his waist, driving him deeper.

We broke for air, his mouth skimming my skin until it enveloped my breast, teasing my nipple with a flick of his tongue. I let out a low moan, and felt the vibrations of Edward's mouth as he groaned around my nipple.

The movements of our lower bodies quickened as we got closer to climaxing. A few moments later my lips puckered as I rode out my climax. After a few more thrusts I felt Edward reach his release. He kissed me once more, before rolling off me and collapsing onto his side of the bed.

As I laid there in a state of bliss, I glanced over to Edward. He lay there, glistening with a sheen of sweat. That crooked smile of his playing across his lips. I shifted my position so that my head was nestled on his chest. He turned his head towards me and kissed my forehead. It wasn't long before I fell asleep, I felt so safe in Edward's arms.

**A/N I have put a link up on my profile for the song Edward sings at the bar. Unfortunately I was unable to find the Van Morrison original so you'll just have to settle for Rob Pattinson's version. Also you may have noticed I changed the chapter title for chapter 3 - I just thought the song fit better lyrically. **


	14. Hockey Song

**A/N Apologies for not updating earlier, but my laptop died :( I'm having to use the PC now which is taking forever. Big thankyou to CLH83 for the input on the hockey portion of the chapter. Also thankyou to my unofficial beta Everclearbabe who luckily had a copy of the work I had done on this chapter so that I didn't have to start from scratch. **

**Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 14

**EPOV**

I woke up that morning and was instantly aware that Bella wasn't in the bed with me. As I begun to wonder where she could be I heard a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen.

I got up and quickly slipped a pair of boxers on before venturing out into the kitchen. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and began to focus I saw Bella. She was frying some eggs, wearing only her underwear and my white shirt from last night.

Whilst I stood in the doorway, staring at Bella's silky smooth, ivory legs, I felt myself becoming aroused as I was reminded of last night and hoping we could pick up where we left off.

"Morning" Bella's angelic voice broke me out of my reverie.

I walked over to where she stood and wrapped my arms around her "Morning beautiful" I said, before placing a tender kiss on the hollow of her ear. As she continued cooking I remained behind her, my arms encircling her. I gently nibbled on her ear before kissing along her collar bone.

"Edward" she groaned.

"What?" I asked, a little huskily.

"I'm trying to concentrate and I can't do it with you kissing me like that" she almost sounded a little mad.

I removed my lips from her skin.

"You didn't have to cook me breakfast" I said.

"Who said this was for you" she said, as she briefly turned her head, I saw a playful smile spread across her face.

"Don't be like that" I pouted. "By the way, my shirt looks a lot better on you" I added.

"I'm just about done here" she said, turning the hotplate off. She swivelled around to face me. Her eyes were looking directly into mine. I crushed my lips to hers. As our mouths mashed against one another her hand was running through my hair, whilst my hands had moved south of her waist. I gently squeezed her ass eliciting a soft moan from Bella.

I reluctantly tore my lips away from hers, aware that I had a shift in less than an hour. I saw a confused expression flit across Bella's face. I placed a few chaste kisses on her lips. "I'm sorry but I have to go to work."

I took out some plates to put the eggs on and moved over to the table, I pulled a chair out for Bella. When she had taken a seat I leaned down placing another tender kiss on the hollow of her ear.

"These are delicious" I said, tucking into the eggs she had made. "If we hurry, I've probably got time to give you a lift home.

"Yeah, okay" she replied.

After clearing the dishes I went to have a shower. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the door open and Bella joined me. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a kiss. She pulled away saying, "I thought we could save time and water this way"

"Yeah, that makes sense to me" I replied, becoming more and more aroused by her naked body as the seconds passed. I pulled her in for a deeper kiss this time. For the next ten minutes things got rather hot and steamy in the shower.

I was the first to leave. As I passed the mirror I couldn't help but write I Love you in the build up of condensation.

I dropped Bella off at her apartment before driving to the hospital.

………

"What have we got?" I asked, as I came out of the doctor's lounge, a cup of coffee in my hand.

"There's a kid in curtain two, seems to be under the impression he's a werewolf" Tanya said, handing me the chart.

"This kid got a name?" I asked, taking the chart from her.

"Seth Clearwater" she shouted, as I made my way to see the patient.

"Hi Seth, I'm Dr. Cullen. What seems to be the problem today?" I asked, entering the room.

"Stay back doc, I'm dangerous" he growled. I couldn't believe he had actually growled. He went to lunge at me, luckily he was in soft restraints so he didn't get very far.

"Any other problems?"

"Yeah, the vampires are out to get me"

"Right" I said. "I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

"Sure thing, doc"

This kid was definitely in need of a psych consult. I picked up the phone and dialled their extension. "Hi, this is Dr. Cullen. I've got a kid down in the ER who needs an eval. When do you think you'll be able to send someone down?"

I had ordered a tox screen on Seth. I'm pretty sure he wasn't on anything, but it was better to be safe than sorry. A resident from psych by the name of Jane was in curtain two talking to him now.

As she left the room I asked " So what's going on with him?"

"He has Twilight State" (**A/N since I discovered this by accident in one of my books I use for work I had to find someway to get it in my story)**

I'd never heard of this before, "What's that?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.

Jane went on to explain that it was an impaired state of consciousness in which the patient may experience visual or auditory hallucinations and responds to them with irrational behaviour. The person may be unaware of the surroundings at the time of the experience and have no memory of it later, except perhaps to recall a related dream.

"Edward, can I have a quick word?" It was Mike. I'm sure I hadn't done anything wrong so what did he want?

"Sure" I replied, following him into the lounge. "What is it?" I asked.

"There's a medical conference in Boston next month and I think it would be good for you to attend"

Not wanting to hinder my career I replied "Okay, you'll let me know more details nearer the time" I wasn't happy at the idea of being apart from Bella.

"Of course" he replied, before we were both called out to a trauma.

As we approached the ambulance bay I could hear more than one rig pulling up. "Porch collapsed, we've got four critical's and about twenty minor injuries" Rosalie informed us, she had taken the call from Rescue 56.

"I'll take this guy. Edward you take the next rig" Mike shouted across to me.

"Give me the bullet?" I said to Soph and Alice, as they began wheeling the gurney out of the ambulance.

"This is Victoria, twenty- three year old. She's thirty eight weeks pregnant, the fall caused her to go into labour. Also has a laceration to her ear."

"Okay guys, thanks. Victoria, I'm Dr. Cullen, don't push okay?" I said, as we wheeled her into Trauma 2.

"Rosalie, can you get OB down here?" she was already on the phone.

"Their rushed off their feet up there. They say that it's going to be about fifteen minutes"

"This baby isn't going to wait this long, gown up I need you over here"

"Victoria I need you to push on the next contraction" I said, briefly placing my hand on her shoulder.

"Ready, push" I said, with that the baby's head was delivered.

"Okay Mom, another big push" Rosalie said, continuing with the coaching.

The delivery wasn't progressing though. "Can someone call OB again; we've got a shoulder dystocia"

"What's that?" Victoria asked, the panic evident in her voice.

"It's where your pelvis is too small for the baby, I need you to bend your legs back as far as you can."

Victoria done this and Rosalie and Clare assisted in this manoeuvre by making sure that Victoria's legs stayed back.

"It's no good. I'm going to have to do an episiotomy, to give a little more room to try and deliver this baby" After numbing the area with local anaesthetic, Rosalie passed me a scalpel and I made a two cm incision.

"Okay Mom, you have a beautiful baby girl" I said, handing the baby to Victoria. She kissed the baby girl's forehead as she cried tears of joy.

By the time I was finished with Victoria's case all the other victims of the porch collapse had been sent to the OR for surgery or had been treated and sent home.

"Pretty crazy, huh" Rosalie said as we stood there pulling off our gloves and trauma gowns.

"Yeah, I can't remember the last time I delivered a baby" I chuckled.

"Edward" she said, cautiously.

"What?" I asked, having an idea where this conversation was going.

"Don't you think it's about time you forgave Emmett, he misses your friendship"

"Rosalie" I huffed, not wanting to go into this again. "He knows where I am, he still hasn't made any attempt to apologize to me"

"Would you let him?" she asked, becoming a little shirty.

"Can we drop this. I don't want mine and Emmett's problem to come in between our friendship."

"But it does Edward. I love Emmett and see everyday how this rift is affecting him."

"So what do you propose we do about it?" I asked, calming down slightly.

"You're off at seven right? I think we should all go to Ike's and talk it out. If you want you can even invite Bella" she suggested.

"Fine" I said. I would give it a shot, although I was doing it more for Rosalie's sake rather than Emmett's.

At lunch I called Bella and she had decided that it would be better if she didn't come tonight. She would rather meet my friends in happier circumstances. I probably wouldn't be seeing her tonight so I ordered a dozen red roses to be sent to her apartment. I asked them to put 'My dearest Bella, I love you with all my heart and will miss you. Love E xx' on the card.

My shift had come to an end and I was waiting on Rosalie and Emmett to walk over to Ike's to try and sort things out. When we walked into the bar I ordered two beers for me and Emmett and a glass of house white for Rosalie.

We walked to a booth in the back and took a seat. There were a couple of minutes of awkward silence before Rosalie finally broke it by saying "One of you has to say something"

"Okay I'll go first" Emmett piped up. "Edward, I'm really sorry man. I know what I did with the whole Bella situation was unforgivable. I was just trying to look out for you. If I could go back in time and change it I would. I realize now that I was in the wrong, once again I'm sorry." He moved his hand into his pocket retrieving something "I know that this doesn't make up for the hurt I caused you, but I hope it's a start" he handed me two Hawk's tickets to this coming Thursday's game. "I thought you might like to take Bella to the game, there meant to be pretty good seats" he finished by taking a swig of his beer.

"Wow, Emmett I don't know what to say." I knew that these tickets must have cost him a lot of money. "Thanks" I added. He was right it didn't make up for the betrayal but it was definitely a good start.

We spent the next two hours talking and joking, for a minute it felt like old times.

I arrived home to see a red, flashing light on my answer machine. I hit the play button and it was Bella. "Hi Edward, I got the roses. They were gorgeous, I love you too. I wish I could see you tonight, but I guess I'll see you tomorrow, bye"

I quickly glanced at my watch it was only ten o'clock, I desperately wanted to see Bella too. I walked back to my car and rushed over to Bella's apartment.

**BPOV**

We arrived at the United Center and there were already a lot of people milling around, some wearing Blackhawk's jerseys like Edward's and others in the opposing teams jersey.

I followed Edward up the escalators, unsure where we were going. He pulled me to where food was being served. "What do you want to eat?" he asked me. I looked up at the menu, there was a selection of hotdog, chips, burgers, popcorn, chilli cheese fries, fries, nachos, pizza, subs, chicken strips and ice-cream. "I'll have some chilli cheese fries please" I asked the girl serving.

"Make that two" Edward said.

Once we had received our food, we found our seats. We were in roughly the middle of the arena. The place was massive, there were still a fair few rows above us. The players would probably look like ants to the people watching from the top! Edward explained that there were video screens above center ice so that people could watch the action close up. As I looked to where he pointed, I was mortified to see that the camera was pointed directly at Edward and me. I turned my head in to his shoulder, attempting to hide from everyone.

After the camera moved on to some other unsuspecting soul in the crowd Edward leaned over to me, " I guess I should have warned you about the camera, huh?" he smirked.

"A little warning would have been nice" I replied.

"Sorry babe" he said, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

"I guess you're forgiven" I smiled.

Whilst a machine re-surfaced the ice (according to Edward it was called a zamboni) I scanned the rest of the arena and saw various people spinning red towels in their hands. "Umm Edward, why are people spinning towels?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, that's because this is a playoff game" he replied. I still didn't understand but I didn't ask for any further explanation.

"What team are we playing?"

"The Calgary Flames."

"Can you explain the rules to me?"

"It's probably best if you watch the game and any questions you have, ask me in the intermission between periods" he smiled.

Everyone went quiet as a video began playing on the screen. It had something to do with Blackhawk's making it into the Stanley Cup playoffs after however many years. I watched not really understanding what it was all about. As it neared an end, showing some footage of games the crowd began to "Woo" and clap loudly.

The lights went out, and the first team skated out, Edward had already told me that the away team come out first. I was jealous of how easy it seemed to be for the players to skate. I had been ice-skating a few times and spent most of the time on my butt. Then the crowd went wild, drums were being bashed and people were chanting "Let's Go Hawks," a strobe-lighting effect was used as the home team skated out to a song that I recognized from being the theme of the Gladiator movie.

When the announcer had introduced both teams and all their players, we were asked to stand for the National Anthem. As there was an American team and a Canadian team both the American and Canadian National Anthem were sung.

We applauded at the end and sat back in our seats. Then the players came to the center of the ice and faced off against one another as the puck was dropped.

The game was played at an incredible speed. I guess that's why they called it the fastest indoor sport. The game seemed rather rough, the way players got pushed into the boards. Edward said it was normal, especially with playoff games. He explained that the games were always more intense and the physical play was stepped up a gear.

The atmosphere was brilliant, it was never quiet. There was always someone shouting, usually at the referee for making a bad call, or a group of fans chanting. The announcer informed people like me why certain players were being sent off. Edward seemed to know before it was announced what they had been called for. It was either because he could see the penalties or he said he knew by looking at the arm signals the ref made.

One of the Blackhawk players was lined up in the front of the goal and looked as if he went to take a shot. The next thing I saw was his stick flying into the air as it broke in two. "Does that happen often?" I asked Edward.

"Yeah. They normally get through about a stick a game. It's rather frustrating because they probably would have had a good chance of scoring if the stick didn't break."

During the intermission I asked Edward various questions about the game. He patiently explained about the sin-bin, the icing rule, the offside rule and what constituted a penalty. He also explained what a power play and a penalty kill were. Would I ever have a chance of understanding anything about this game?

I was pleasantly surprised by the second period at how much easier the game seemed to be to follow, now that Edward had explained certain rules. Edward leaned forward in his seat, placing both of his hands to the side of his mouth, and hollered "Come on Ref, what about the interference" someone sat to the side commented that he thought the same thing.

It was now the third and final period and the score was one all. About four minutes into the period Calgary went into the lead, having scored their second goal of the night. Chicago now had sixteen minutes to score two goals to win this game. Edward wasn't worried though he said "It only takes a second to score a goal"

It didn't take long for Chicago to draw level again. "Yes" Edward pumped his fist into the air as The Fratellis Chelsea Dagger played again. This was the Blackhawk's goal song I had found out. The final period finished and still there was no clear winner as the score stood at two all. "So they drew?" I asked.

"No" Edward replied, "Now they go into overtime. The first team to score wins" he had an anxious look on his face. It took only twelve seconds for a Blackhawk called Havlat (I only knew his name because it was printed on the back of his jersey) to score. That's when all the players piled off the bench onto the ice to celebrate. Edward kissed me on the lips "mwah" he said. I had never seen him so elated before. "That goal was sick" he said. I really didn't understand some of the things he said. The roof came off (metaphorically speaking) with the noise from the Chicago fans, there was a wave of red, as towels were being spun all over the place.

Something called man of the match presentations were given. Then both teams skated what was classed as a lap of honour around the ice, some applauding the fans others holding their sticks up in the air, saluting the fans.

"Do you want to go to the bar?" Edward asked, as people began filing out of their seats.

"Sure" I answered.

Edward ordered us some drinks as I went to find us a table. He came over with a Malibu and coke for me and a beer for himself. "So what did you think?" he asked, as he sat down.

"I really enjoyed it" I replied. "The atmosphere was great and I liked the way that music was played when ever the play was stopped. I still can't believe how fast the game was, or how low down to the ice the players can get. The other thing that was amazing was how quick they can stop and change directions." I stopped as I became conscious that I was probably babbling.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Would you like to go to another game sometime, maybe next season?" he asked.

"Definitely" I said with a hint of excitement in my voice.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he finished the last dregs of his beer.

"Yep" I replied.

"My place or yours?" he asked as we were on our way out to his car.

"Umm. Let's go back to yours" I replied, wrapping my arm in his. We hadn't been spent a night away from each other for the past week. I preferred his apartment, although it did mean that Angela's apartment was hardly lived in. I was making the most of our nights together because Edward would be back on graveyard shift next week and we wouldn't be seeing as much of each other.

**A/N As always reviews are welcome. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will put up the links to the songs and video of this game when I have my laptop back. Thanks :)**


	15. You Make it Real

**A/N This chapter is a little shorter than the last. I decided to split the chapter into two as it would have been really long otherwise. Also as I am going away this weekend on holiday I wanted to post something to keep you guys going. EPOV Lemon in this chapter hope you enjoy.**

**Don't own twilight wish I did**

Chapter 15.

**EPOV**

I was five days into my ten days of graveyard shift and hadn't seen Bella for almost a week! I was missing her immensely. I had text her last night, just after my shift had started. I asked if it was okay for me to drop by her apartment this morning, after my shift ended.

I was driving to Bella's, contending with peak traffic. I just wanted to see her and it was taking a lot longer to get there than I had expected. I finally pulled up outside her building, it was already eight o'clock. I couldn't believe it had taken me almost an hour to get from the hospital to here. I had told Bella that I would be round about half seven. I hoped she wouldn't be too mad at me for being half an hour late.

I didn't need to be buzzed in, as someone exiting the building held the door open for me. I hastily made my way up the stairs, to Bella's door.

"Bella" I said, knocking on the door. She opened the door, just wide enough for me to see her beautiful face. "Bella, what's going on?"

Before I knew what was happening she had opened the door, dragged me through it and now had me slammed up against the door. Her lips came crashing down to mine as she kissed me passionately. As the kiss deepened I brought my hands to her waist and was surprised to discover that she wasn't wearing her usual night attire.

That's when she tore her mouth away from mine. As I opened my eyes my jaw hit the floor as I saw Bella standing in front of me, wearing a pale blue baby doll. So that's what my hands brushed against a few moments earlier.

When she began to walk away from me, towards the couch I noticed that the apartment was filled with candles. She had gone to all this effort for me. Once I had made my way to the couch I collapsed onto it, rubbing my eyes. "I love that you did all this Bella, but I'm really tired" I stated.

"How tired?" she asked, undoing my belt buckle.

"Not that tired" I replied, kissing her once more.

Bella made quick work of pushing my pants and boxers down. She grasped hold of me. At her warm touch I sprang to attention, she began moving her hand up and down my shaft slowly and then speeding up her ministrations. I tore my lips away from hers for air and began nipping at her collar bone. My eyes rolled back as her movements on me became even quicker.

I went to put my lips on hers once more, but she used her free hand to push me back against the couch. Her warm touch went away as she unbuttoned my shirt, and then moved her hands all over my torso. I went to kiss her again, feeling guilty that all the attention she was giving me wasn't being returned. Once again she pushed me back, a little more forcefully this time. "Bella?" I questioned as I longed for the taste of her mouth.

"No Edward, this is about you" she replied, sexily.

This time she brought her mouth down to my chest. She licked, sucked and kissed every inch of me, slowly moving down to my abdomen and then pausing at my navel. I wanted her to carry on going further down, but would never ask such a thing of my angel.

She lifted her face momentarily and looked at me with a devilish grin on her face. Then she took me into her hot, little mouth. I put my hands flat against the cushions, desperately trying to maintain some control. "God…Bella…that feels so good" I panted, as she took more of me into her mouth. As she worked her way back up, her tongue swirling over my tip, I let out a groan, my eyes rolling back into my head once more. As she continued using her mouth on me, I was unable to stop myself from bucking my hips, thrusting into her mouth. It didn't take long for me to reach my climax. Bella brought her head back up, with a satisfied smile planted on her face.

I grabbed hold of her legs and swiftly pulled her into a lying down position. "Your turn" I said, huskily. I began by mashing my mouth against hers and then slipping my tongue into her already open mouth. When we had to break for air I kissed the hollow of her ear before kissing her shoulder and then moving to nibble against her earlobe.

I moved my hands down to her lace thong; with the assistance of Bella I swiftly removed it. I gently placed my hands onto her thighs, moving them apart. I stroked her with the palm of my hand; she became wetter by the second. I gingerly pushed one finger into her. I looked up at her face, making sure she was okay with this. She was biting down on her lip, desperately trying to suppress a moan. "Just let it go baby" I said.

"Edward" she moaned.

"Do you have any idea how sexy you sound? I love the way you moan my name like that" the words came spilling out of my mouth. Feeling a little ashamed at what I had just said, I stopped what I was doing.

"Edward, don't stop" Bella cried. I pushed another finger into her and used my thumb to apply gentle pressure against her clitoris.

I used my free hand to push her baby doll further open, allowing me to bring my mouth to her breast. As my mouth worked on one breast, my tongue flicking against her hard nipple, I used my hand to grope her other breast. I briefly moved my mouth away to say "You're so beautiful Bella, I love you"

"I…love…you…too" she panted, as I placed my mouth back on her breast. I could feel her body quivering under me and against my fingers. I knew it wouldn't be long now.

I moved my mouth down her body, removing my fingers from inside her. I licked my way down her abdomen and then travelled further down. I licked against her, before placing my tongue inside of her. I replicated the movements of my fingers, only with my tongue.

"Edwaaaaaard" she groaned as she reached her climax.

We had both gotten pretty hot and sticky by this point. After Bella had recovered she took me by the hand and dragged me into her bedroom.

We quickly finished undressing each other, before I lay down on the bed and Bella climbed on top of me, sliding herself down onto me. Upon entering her, I let out a low moan. She bucked her hips up and down on me, as my hands massaged her breast and teased her nipples.

After riding out our respective orgasms, as Bella slid off of me I brought her hand to my mouth and tenderly kissed it.

"I missed you" she said, lying down beside me.

"Me too" I replied, turning my head to kiss her. "How long have you got before you need to get ready for work?" I asked.

"About ten minutes" she said, after lifting herself up, just enough to see the time on the alarm clock.

"Come here" I said, my arms wide open, allowing her to snuggle into my chest. After she had settled, I wrapped my arms around her body, stroking my hand up and down her back. "Bella, I love you so much" I said, kissing her forehead. She looked incredibly sexy, with a post-coital, healthy glow.

We spent the next five minutes laying there, snuggling. Then Bella had to go get ready for work. When she came back from the shower, I asked "Is it okay for me to crash here for the day?" I didn't have the energy to move, I was exhausted.

"Aw, poor baby" she replied, cupping my face with her hand. "Of course it is. When am I going to see you again?" She asked.

"Well, I could always pop over again tomorrow morning, if you'd like?"

"Yeah, I like that idea" she said, before kissing me again.

After Bella left, it didn't take long before I fell asleep, a very happy man.

…………..

I was on my last graveyard shift. I had gone to Bella's every morning since that first morning I went to hers. We made love every morning, sometimes more than once if we skipped the foreplay. I crashed most days at her apartment, being too exhausted to move.

I wouldn't see Bella until probably the early hours of Sunday morning. It was Alice's hen party tomorrow night and her and Bella were going shopping beforehand. Apparently it was going to be an all day thing.

I had just started my shift when Mike pulled me aside to talk to me about the Boston trip.

"Okay, so you fly out to Boston Friday morning and fly home on Tuesday afternoon"

"The conference is going to take that long?" I asked. I really didn't want to spend that much time away from Bella. Part of me feared for Bella's safety whilst I was away.

"Here's your plane tickets and hotel voucher. Everything has been paid for. The hotel you're staying in is where the conference is being held. Once you're there you won't need to venture out"

I took the tickets from Mike, before he left. "See you next Tuesday" he said, walking out the door. After tonight's shift I had a few days off to try and get back into being awake in the day before having to come back into work.

As I poured myself a coffee I heard someone else walk in. "Edward, can I have a quick word?"

"It was Carlisle "Hi Dad. What is it?" I asked, walking to the table and pouring some sugar into my coffee.

"Your Mom and I would like you to invite Bella over to dinner on Sunday night. Alice and Jasper will be there. We've heard so many good things about her from Alice and I can see how much happier you are these days. We want to meet the girl responsible for such a positive thing" he said.

"Sure, I'll ask her Dad" I managed to say, before being called away for a trauma.

Alice and Soph had brought in the patient. Knowing it was the end of her shift I asked Alice to hang around as I needed to talk to her. She unhappily obliged.

She hadn't had to wait very long, only about ten minutes. The trauma hadn't been anything too serious. I had left one of the interns in charge of the patient's care.

"What is it Edward?" Alice asked, standing up, walking towards me.

"It's about Bella" I said, solemnly.

"You bastard, you're breaking up with her aren't you?" she asked crossly.

"No Alice, why would I do that when I'm so in love with her?"

"Sorry, it's just you have that look"

"Maybe you should take a seat" I suggested, as we both sat down. "Has Bella ever told you anything about Jacob?"

"Only that he's someone she knew back in Forks"

"It's a little more complicated than that"

I explained to Alice how Bella and Jacob had been a couple and that he was the one who had shot Bella. I also told Alice that I had convinced Bella to go to the police but they had said they were unable to arrest Jacob due to a lack of evidence.

"Edward are you sure she spoke to the police? Were you with her?" Alice asked, unable to believe that the police couldn't do anything.

"Well no, I didn't actually go into the station with her. I waited outside in the car"

"So how can you be sure that Bella actually spoke to the police and didn't just go into the station, stay in there a while before coming back out?"

"I admit the same thought crossed my mind." I was ashamed that I hadn't trusted Bella on this matter. "Anyways I spoke to one of the cops that are always bringing people into the ER. He said that what Bella had told me was correct, without any evidence linking Jacob to the crime scene and no previous complaints of the abuse he had 'supposedly' inflicted upon her they would have no grounds to arrest him."

Now to ask Alice for a big favour. "Next Friday I'm going to Boston for a medical conference. I'm going to be away for four nights. I would feel a lot happier if I knew Bella was safe. I was wondering if she could stay with you and Jazz."

"Of course she can, Edward I'm just as worried about Bella as you are. By the way I think it's incredibly sweet the way you worry about Bella"

"Shut up" I said, feeling a little embarrassed at being called sweet by my little sister.

Alice began to leave "Oh and Alice"

"Yes Edward" she said, turning around to face me.

"I was thinking about getting Bella a gift. Some sort of jewellery maybe. As you're going shopping with her tomorrow, maybe you could find out what she likes and then let me know"

"Yeah okay. Are you coming to Mom and Dad's this Sunday?" I had forgotten about that. I still needed to ask Bella if she wanted to go.

"Yeah, I should be"

"See you Sunday"

"Have a nice bachelorette party tomorrow" I shouted.

"You know I will" she shouted back.

I called Bella and told her about the dinner. It was only when she knew that Alice and Jasper would be there that she agreed to it.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day, even if I would be asleep for most of the day. I guess I could see Jazz tomorrow; he would probably be at a loose end as well. Maybe we could invite Emmett round and go out somewhere.

**A/N hope you liked that chapter. If you like the ER aspect of this story why not check out my new story. It's called Roomies and is about Neela and Ray. It probably helps if you have watched the show to understand certain aspects of the stroy but is not essesntial. Don't worry though this story is still my main focus as this is the one I began with. All reviews welcome. Thanks:)**


	16. Independent Women

**A/N I'm back having had a fun time in Paris. **

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did.**

**Chapter 16.**

**BPOV**

It was Saturday morning and Alice had picked me up, we were on our way to Michigan Avenue to go shopping. I really wasn't looking forward to today. I'm not like most girls, I kinda hate shopping. I was also unhappy because I wouldn't be seeing Edward today.

After a week of not seeing each other and then only seeing each other for just over an hour every morning I was a little annoyed.

"Are you still moping about not seeing my brother?" she asked. After I didn't reply, she continued "He's going to be sleeping until two or three in the afternoon anyway."

"Whatever" I said, crossing my arms.

"Come on Bella, cheer up" Alice said, pulling a funny face. With a personality as bubbly and personable as Alice's it was impossible to stay mad at her for any considerable length of time. I let out a little laugh at the sight of her.

"That's more like it" she said, pulling her Porsche 911 into a space in a parking garage.

"Where should we go first?" she said, tapping her finger against her chin, looking up to the ceiling. "I know, this way" she grabbed hold of my arm and dragged me out into the already bustling street.

We headed left, down towards Macy's. "We're going to have so much fun today" she said as we walked down the sidewalk arm in arm.

"Uh huh" I said, not convinced that this day would resemble anything even close to fun.

We walked through the revolving doors and into the store. "Let's go look at some dresses" she said, pulling me through the busy store.

We began making our way through the sea of dresses. Alice was like a kid in a candy store.

"Bella look at this one, it's so pretty, but then there's this one as well" she would say, picking two dresses up at a time. There were some beautiful dresses but they were well out of our price range.

Having quickly picked up six dresses Alice forced me to go with her to the changing rooms. Something about she needed my opinion. At least they had a seat I was able to sit on. Alice tried on all the dresses, each time coming out and parading them as though she were a model on a catwalk at some fashion show. My reply was always the same "Very nice" I was telling the truth I thought each dress looked good on Alice. I'm sure I hadn't been much help to her, I still didn't know why she had dragged me here today. Alice must have friends who are better suited to helping her pick out clothes than I am.

"I think I'm going to get these three" she said, holding on to the dresses she was intending on buying.

"How much does that come to?" I asked, concerned that she was going to spend all her pay for that month in one shop.

"Only three hundred and fifty dollars" she replied, as if it were a minuscule amount to pay.

"For three dresses! You can't afford it Alice, maybe you should only get one or better yet none at all" I said, aghast that she was prepared to spend this amount of money.

"Relax Bella I can afford it. I promise."

"Alice, have you forgotten I know how much you get paid?" I asked.

"Can we change the subject please?" she said, as we reached the till.

"Okay" it seemed as if I had offended her or something. I had the distinct impression that she was hiding something from me.

After paying, Alice and I left Macy's and made our way down Michigan Avenue. We went into Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's.

Each time we went into a store Alice purchased something. I didn't even want to think about how much she had spent today.

I could understand why this area of Chicago was referred to as the magnificent mile, with its high end stores and glamourous hotels such as The Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton. It's as if the whole area catered mainly for tourists and the affluent.

It was already lunchtime and whilst Alice was carrying around ten bags worth of shopping, I was yet to purchase anything. What was I doing here? I could be spending my time with Edward now, he would probably be getting up in an hour or two. As we ate our lunch I asked Alice "Why did you bring me here? I'm sure you have other friends who are much better than I am at the whole shopping thing"

"Bella, this whole attitude has got to go" she replied, slamming her fork down on the plate in front of her. "I brought you with me because I thought we could have some fun and there's something I want to show you"

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm not telling it's a surprise."

"Alice, you know I don't like surprises" I groaned.

"This will be a good one and you won't have to wait much longer. It's the first thing we're doing after lunch.

We were stood outside a wedding dress store. "Come on, they don't bite" Alice said, as she pulled me through the door.

A sales assistant came up to us "Hello Miss Cullen, if you'd like to follow me please."

"This is Bella Swan" Alice said, introducing me.

"Hi, I'm Helen. Will you be going to the wedding?" she asked.

Alice hadn't formally invited me "Err" I said.

"Of course she is" Alice answered for me.

We reached a changing room of sorts and Alice was ushered off, whilst I was left to sit down. A glass of champagne was brought out for me. I began sipping from my glass when Alice came out. She was breathtaking. I couldn't believe how exquisitely beautiful her dress was.

"What do you think?" She asked twirling around.

"You look beautiful Alice. The dress is gorgeous." She wore a strapless dress with an intricate pattern of beading on the skirt. The bodice had a few sparkly jewels encrusted across it. Jasper was going to be amazed by her on their special day. This was Alice's final fitting so a few last minute adjustments were made.

As we left the store Alice linked her arm in mine. "So, did you like the surprise?" she asked.

"Yes, Alice you're going to look spectacular on your wedding day"

"I know" she said cheekily, we both laughed.

"Now to sort out an outfit for you tonight." She said, pulling me off to the left.

Oh dear, this was going to be torture. The theme for Alice's bachelorette party was cowgirls and indians. I had sort of hoped that I could get away with just wearing a posh frock. That wasn't going to happen once I had explained to Alice that I didn't have a costume. I thought that by leaving it until earlier today before telling her I would be safe. I should have known better.

We found a store that was in the vicinity of my price range. Alice began searching through the rails and picking up items of clothing. All of which were a little to risque for my taste. She literally had to push me into the changing room to try stuff on.

I was stood in the changing room looking at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a light brown dress that ended in a point just below my crotch, it had a fringe on the bottom and around the neckline."Alice, I don't know about this. I really don't feel comfortable with wearing something so revealing." I called from inside the room.

"Come out here and let me be the judge of how you look" she said back.

"Okay, here I come" I said, gingerly opening the door, peeking to make sure that only Alice was outside. I felt extremely self-conscious about anyone else seeing me dressed like this. Alice walked up to me, dragging me away from the security of the door.

"You look hot Bella. You should definitely get it."

"I don't know" I said, biting on my fingernails.

"Edward will love it" she said, with a smile.

Alice had won me over with that last comment. The more adventurous side of me wanted to see Edward's face when I saw him after the party.

After changing back into my own clothes, I went to the till and paid, unable to hide the blush that accompanied my embarrassment at buying such an outfit.

After hitting a few more stores, Alice and I were on our way back to her place. She said that Jasper had text her to say that he was at Edward's as they were both at a loose end tonight. I was glad that Edward wouldn't be sat at home alone.

As soon as we got through the door Alice sent me upstairs to take a shower whilst she unpacked her bags of shopping. Then whilst I dried my hair and got dressed she went off for her own shower, then she would quickly get ready before coming to do my hair and make-up.

When Alice came back out she was wearing a saloon girl dress. Being the bride to be she was the one that could be dressed a little differently to everyone else. I'm sure Alice loved the fact that she was able to be different to everyone else. Her outfit consisted of fishnets, a red top that was tied up like a corset at the front and a black skirt. "That's not fair, how come you get to wear a longer skirt than my dress?" I asked, walking over to the stool situated in front of her dresser, I pulled down on the hem of my dress, worried that it only just covered my ass!

"Bella stop worrying about the length of your dress and come sit down so that I can work my magic" Alice said. She gave me pigtail braids and finished my hair by putting a headband with a feather in it on the top of my head. She gave me smoky eyes and a light pink lip gloss. "I've got the perfect boots to go with your outfit" Alice said rushing off into another room. When she came back she handed me a pair of brown, knee-high boots with a four inch heel. "You look perfect" Alice beamed after I had put the boots on.

We arrived at Ike's where we were meeting everyone before moving onto the venue where the show was going to be. We were thirty minutes late, I was with Alice after all, she's never on time. I pitied whoever was her maid of honor and had the arduous task of trying to get her down the aisle on time. Our group was easy to find, what with the fancy dress and all. As we moved towards everyone I grabbed the hem of my dress again, still feeling self conscious. Why had I allowed myself to be talked into it by Alice? I should have put my foot down and stuck with my first instinct. No way! Maybe some alcohol in my system would help loosen my inhibitions. "Alice, I'm going to the bar. Do you want something to drink?" I asked, briefly interrupting her and Soph's conversation.

"Yeah, can you get me a cosmo please. Thanks" she called back before returning to her conversation.

I made my way to the bar, recognizing a few people from work as I walked past.

"Can I have one cosmopolitan and a glass of house white please?" I asked the barman.

"Sure" he replied.

As he was making the drinks the girl who had been draped all over Edward at Alice and Jasper's engagement party perched on the stool to the side of me. "Hi, I'm Jessica. I went to school with Alice" she smiled. She was dressed as a pink cowgirl. Her dress was about the length of mine, the neckline was cut lower than mine. She wore a pink hat and white, platform knee-high boots.

"I'm Bella" I replied.

"How do you know Alice?" she asked.

"Umm I work with her at the firehouse and I'm dating her brother" As I said the last part I saw a scowl appear on her face.

"So you're the bitch who my Edward has been cheating on me with" she said aggressively.

"Excuse me?" I asked with a sarcastic tone.

"Edward and I were in love, until you turned up"

"Are you sure Edward was aware of this 'love?'" She was really starting to piss me off.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just that Edward told me that he went on one date with you and that he wasn't interested.

In fact he said that he found it embarrassing the way that you continually throw yourself at him" I shot back.

"If he wasn't interested, why did we spend the past week together in Aruba?" she questioned, with a smug smile. Was this girl for real? She was totally delusional. Why did Alice have to invite her?

"That's interesting, because when he wasn't working this week he spent all his time in my bed!"

Jessica went bright red with anger, looking as if she were about to explode. My drinks were ready by this point, so I picked them up and walked away from the bar, leaving Jessica steaming.

Hopefully she would stay away from me for the remainder of the night. I was here for a fun night out not a cat fight.

I made my way back to Alice and passed over her drink. I took a sip of my wine, calming myself down.

"What's the matter?" Soph asked, no doubt having spied my flushed appearance.

"Nothing much, just Alice's friend Jessica accused me of being Edward's mistress" I answered, before taking another big sip of wine.

"She didn't?" Alice asked, shocked.

"Yeah she did. I think she may have some sort of delusional problem. No offense I know she's your friend."

"I'll go have a word with her" Alice said, beginning to move away.

I put my arm out, blocking Alice from going anywhere, "No Alice, leave it I'm sure she won't bother me again tonight."

"Alright but if she does make sure you let me know"

"I will" I would be civil to Jessica for Alice's sake, I just hope Jessica does the same.

"Yay Josie is here. Bella come with me I want you to meet my best friend and maid of honor" Alice said pulling me away.

When we got to Josie her and Alice gave each other a big hug. "Bella this is Josie, Josie this is Bella" Alice said, formally introducing us.

"So you're the girl I've heard so much about. Alice talks about you all the time. I hear that you've worked wonders with Edward."

"I don't know about that." I replied. "I feel sorry for you, being this one's maid of honor" I added pointing to Alice, who gave a fake look of surprise. "Good luck with trying to get her to the church on time"

We all laughed. As we talked for the next ten minutes I discovered that they had been best friends since kindergarten. I liked Josie but felt I should go mingle so her and Alice could have a proper catch up.

Once everyone had arrived and we had all had at least one drink we got into a couple of taxis and made our way to the club for the strip show. Having had a glass of wine I felt a little less self-conscious about my dress.

Once the show started I had another glass of wine on the go. When one of the guys came out into the audience bare-chested and asked me to rub baby oil over his body I did it without hesitation. His chest was smoother than Edward's. I preferred touching Edward's chest though. Normally I would shy away from this sort of behaviour. Not tonight though, I was loving the show and my participation in it.

When there was an intermission I made my way to the restroom. I found it even more difficult to walk in heels than usual. I had a few stumbles, after one I swear I heard a sniggering from behind., I turned and saw Jessica. I decided to carry on and not say anything, she wasn't worth it.

When I came out I went to the bar and ordered myself a club soda. I thought it best not to consume anymore alcohol. I had always had the problem of wine going straight to my head and making me feel quite drunk.

After watching the show we went to the top floor of the club where they were throwing a disco for us. Even though Edward and I had gone to that salsa class the other week I still didn't enjoy dancing that much. I stayed for about half an hour before leaving and going over to Edward's. I doubt that Alice had even noticed that I left, she was having too much fun. She was dancing with one of the strippers when I was leaving.

Why was the taxi taking so long to get to Edward's apartment? I text him to let him know I was coming by. 'On my way now. Love you xx'

He replied 'Okay, see you soon. Can't wait xx'

Neither could I. Finally the cab pulled up outside his building. I quickly paid the driver and started making my way unsteadily up the steps to the front door, hiccuping as I went.

I pressed the buzzer "Hello" came his sexy voice.

"Hello lover. You want to let me in so I can show you just how much I missed you" I said.

"Wait there. I'm coming down" That's a bit strange. He normally just buzz's me in.

I sat down on the top step and patiently waited for Edward to come and get me. I heard the door open before he called "Bella, is that you?"

I turned around and smiled sweetly. Even wearing a pair of sweats and a white t-shirt he looked incredibly hot. How did he do it?

I stood up, kissed him on the lips before taking a step back and twirling around "What do you think?" I asked.

"Wow" he replied, his eyes practically popping out of his head. I smiled liking the effect I had on him. Alice had been right, he did like the outfit.

"I think I should take you upstairs" he said.

"Whatever you say Mr Cullen"

He scooped me up in his arms and carried me away. It was reminiscent from the scene in An Officer and A Gentleman where Richard Gere goes to Debra Winger's place of work in his dress uniform and picks her up. Only difference is that Edward didn't have the uniform, hmm maybe he could rent one some day?

"Edward why did you come down to meet me?" I asked as he made his way up the stairs.

"Something in your text made me think you might need a little help tonight" he replied, with a crooked grin.

"I'm confused. All I said was on my way now and Love you"

"Well that's not quite what you typed but I got the gist of what you were saying" I heard him softly chuckle.

We made our way into his apartment, where he set me down on the couch. He brought his mouth to mine and we kissed again, this time there was more passion behind the kiss.

He pulled away "No, I want more" I said, wrapping my arms around his neck pulling him close to me once more. This wasn't like me at all, normally I was so shy and reserved. We resumed kissing, Edward sucked on my bottom lip, god I love it when he does that.

Edward pulled away again. Why did he keep on doing that? I furrowed my brow as I looked at him.

"I think we should take these boots off" Edward said, pulling down on the zipper of the left one, before peeling it off of me and then doing the same with the right. "Better?" he asked, leaning over to place a tender kiss on my forehead.

"Yep"

"Would you like me to give you a foot massage?" He already had my foot in his hand.

"Okay" As he caressed my foot I found myself relaxing and becoming a little sleepy.

"Maybe I should get you to bed"

"Yes please" I said, a little too enthusiastically.

"Not like that" he frowned. "You need to get some sleep"

I gave him my best pout and puppy dog eyes.

"Don't make this any harder on me Bella." He scooped me up in his strong arms again, carrying me to his bed. He gently laid me down. "How about some hot chocolate?" he asked. I nodded yes, as I saw him disappear out of his room to the kitchen my eyes became very heavy.

I woke up the next morning to find myself wearing one of Edward's t-shirts. I don't remember getting undressed, Edward must have done it for me. He wasn't in the bed next to me, so he must already be up.

I walked out to the kitchen where he was cooking bacon and eggs. "Morning baby" he said, walking over to me and giving me a quick peck on the cheek. "Want some coffee?"

"Yes please" I said, taking a seat at the table. I didn't feel that clever.

A few minutes later Edward brought over my drink, as I lifted the mug to my mouth I got a whiff of the coffee and it made my stomach churn. I clamped my hand over my mouth and rushed to the bathroom. I lifted the toilet seat and threw up.

"Aw, poor baby" I hadn't even noticed Edward come up behind me. He grabbed my hair and held it back as I threw up again. Whilst holding my hair with one hand he used his other to rub soothing circles on my back.

I couldn't help starting to cry "Drink is evil. I'm never drinking again" I said.

"I've heard that one before." Edward smirked.

"No, I'm serious. It's not worth feeling like this"

Edward leaned against the wall and held me in his arms, comforting me. It had been ten minutes since I had thrown up last. "I think we're safe" I said.

We headed back out to the kitchen, Edward began eating his breakfast and I really tried to eat something but could only manage a few bites.

"Bella, you know I have to go on that trip to Boston next week for the medical conference?"

"Yeah" I vaguely remembered Edward saying something about having to go out of state for a work thing.

"Well I don't feel happy about you being alone in your apartment. I filled Alice in on the situation and she agreed to let you stay with her and Jasper for the week" he smiled.

"YOU DID WHAT?" I screamed.

"What?" he asked, a look of confusion spread across his face.

"How dare you tell anyone about what happened between me and Jacob. I told you that in confidence Edward. Do you know how hard it was for me to tell you? Who else have you told?" It seems he saw my past as a juicy piece of gossip.

"I just told Alice. I'm sorry Bella. I was just worried about you, I didn't mean to upset you"

"Yeah, well you did" I said, before turning away to go have a shower.

"Bella, please" Edward called out behind me.

"Edward I'm so angry with you right now. Please don't talk to me."

I stood under the shower, the hot water running down my back. It wasn't doing anything to calm me down. I had locked the door so that Edward couldn't come in. I was still fuming. I couldn't believe that he had betrayed my trust like this, after everything we had been through. I had to go home and clear my head.

After getting dressed in the outfit I was wearing last night (I didn't have any clothes here) I made my way to the front door.

Edward came over to the front door and blocked me. "Edward, move out of my way."

"Where are you going Bella. I thought we were going to spend the day together."

"Well after what you've done I don't want to see you today. I need to go home and calm down"

"At least let me drive you home. I know you. You won't be comfortable going out dressed like that."

"Just watch me" I said, pushing him out of the way and yanking the door open.

"Bella" he called down the hall.

"What?" I shouted back as I turned to face him.

"It's just we're supposed to be going to my parents for dinner tonight" he said softly, his eyes looking down at the floor.

I huffed before replying "Fine, what time are you picking me up" I was doing this for his parents sake rather than his.

"I'll pick you up at seven" he had lifted his head up and was looking at me.

"Okay, see you then" With that I stormed off.

**A/N Uh oh not looking too good for our favourite lovebirds. I will post a link for the party outfits on my profile.**

**Let me know what you think. Thanks :)**

**Every chapter now has a title. Have put the song links up on my profile. **


	17. Heart and Soul

**A/N Sorry this chapter is short and sweet.**

**Chapter 17.**

**EPOV**

It was time for me to go pick Bella up and take her to dinner. I hadn't bothered her today, giving her the space I think she needed. I just hope she has calmed down from this morning. Seeing as everything I had planned to do today had been cancelled when Bella walked away from me earlier on I popped to the local florist and picked up a bunch of twelve long-stemmed red roses. I wrote a card that just said 'sorry' on it.

I reached Bella's apartment and Angela buzzed me in. Bella opened the door, she looked stunning, wearing a little black dress. I leaned in to kiss her cheek but she turned her head away from me. Obviously she was still mad at me. I passed over the roses as a peace offering "These are for you" I smiled.

"Angela, can you put these in some water please?" Bella called back to her roommate.

"Sure, oh Hi Edward" Angela said as she took the roses from Bella. She smiled sympathetically at me, I'm sure Bella had told her all about our fight.

"Hi" I waved. "Um Bella there was a card in with the roses, don't you want to read it?" I asked.

"I'll read it later" she said flatly.

Okay, dinner would be interesting.

We drove the thirty minutes it took to get to my parents place in complete silence. As I pulled up to the house Bella spoke for the first time that evening. "Oh my God, this is where your parents live?" she asked.

"Yeah" I was afraid she may have this reaction.

"Edward, it's a mansion. You never told me that you were rich. That explains why Alice was able to afford all that stuff yesterday"

"It's not exactly something I go broadcasting Bella" I explained.

"But you drive a Volvo."

"Not everything is about money"

"Spoken like someone who's never had to worry about it"

I frowned. This is why I didn't like telling people that my family has money.

"Sorry" Bella said softly.

I got out of the car and swiftly ran around to her side and opened the door for her. She took hold of the hand I offered. We walked up to the door with our fingers entwined. Even now I still felt the whoosh of electricity run through my body when Bella and I touched. Things still weren't right between us, but they were getting there.

Dad answered the door, "Hello, you must be Bella" he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm Carlisle, Edward's father"

"Pleased to meet you" Bella replied.

"Please, come in" he said, gesturing for us to follow him into the kitchen.

I walked over to Mom, still holding Bella's hand. "Hi Mom" I said, giving her a quick kiss. "This is Bella" I said, pulling Bella forward a little. "Bella this is my Mom, Esme."

She passed me the spoon she had been using to stir the gravy "Edward can you stir this for me please?" I did as I was told.

"Let's have a proper look at you sweetie" she said, taking Bella to the side. "You look beautiful. You've brought Edward alive these past couple of months" She pulled Bella into a big hug. As I glanced over my shoulder I saw Bella blush.

"Mom" I said.

"What honey?" she sasked.

"You're embarrassing Bella" I whispered, thinking only Mom could hear me.

"No she's not" Bella said. "I don't know how much I've had to do with the change in Edward Mrs Cullen"

"Please call me Esme"

"Okay Esme"

"Why don't you two go into the lounge, Alice and Jasper are there" Mom said, ushering us away. She didn't like people being under her feet when she was cooking.

"Hi guys" Jasper said as we entered the lounge.

"Alice, can I have a quick word with you?" I asked. She uncurled herself from Jasper and walked over to me.

"Bella, do you want to come over to keep me company whilst these two go off and talk about us"

As Bella began to move towards the couch a frown on her face I whispered to her "Jasper's just kidding, it's not like that"

"Whatever" she said and carried on over to Jasper.

Alice and I stepped out into the hall. Mom and Dad were otherwise engaged in setting up for dinner so there was no need for me to worry about being be overheard.

"Someones in the dog house" she said.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked.

"Yes. Don't worry though Mom and Dad don't normally pick up on stuff like that. What'd you do anyways?"

"I spoke to her this morning about staying with you when I'm away. Anyways when I said that I had filled you in on her past with Jacob she became really upset and stormed out saying she didn't want to see me. I didn't bother her all day giving her the space she wanted, but she's still mad at me. What should I do?"

"I don't know Edward, maybe Jasper can help. Don't worry though I know you guys will work this out."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Call it female intuition" she smiled, starting to walk back towards the lounge.

"Alice, one more thing"

"Yes Edward" she turned to face me.

"Did you find out what kind of jewellery Bella might like?"

"Sorry, you're on your own with that. That girl does not like to shop, everything is 'nice' to her." She used her fingers to air-quote the word nice.

"Dinners ready" Mom called.

"Excellent" I heard Jasper call from the lounge. As he walked past me, he whispered "Bella's not happy with you"

"I know" I said.

Bella walked up to me and we made our way into the dining room. I pulled a chair out for her "Thank you" she said, taking a seat.

Mom had cooked a roast again. I tucked in, savouring the different flavours. Dinner passed without incident. Bella gracefully answered the questions that were fired at her by Mom and Dad. Alice was right, they were blissfully unaware of the atmosphere between Bella and myself.

After dinner I helped Mom wash the dishes whilst Bella went and watched some TV with Alice and Jasper. "So what do you think of Bella?" I asked, my curiosity having gotten the better of me.

"I think she's great. A little shy but very polite and easy to talk to you. I wasn't joking when I said she's brought you to life"

"I know."

"What I think isn't important though. How do you feel about her honey?"

"I love her. I think she may be the one" I smiled. Sure, we were going through a rough patch at the moment but I really did see a future for us.

"That's great Edward" Mom said, pulling me into a hug.

After the dishes were done, rather than go sit with the others I went over to the grand piano and started to play. I began by just going up and down the scales, it had been a while since I last played. After playing a few simple songs I found myself playing the song that I had written for Bella on my guitar.

I became lost in the music and was shocked when somebody came and sat next to me. It was Bella, she had a tear in her eye. "That was beautiful Edward" she said.

"It's the song I wrote for you" I explained.

"I know, I recognized it" she replied, before leaning over and giving me a tender kiss on the lips.

Breaking away from the kiss I said "I'm sorry"

"For what?" she asked.

"For telling Alice about Jacob"

"Edward, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I'm sorry I overreacted this morning and ruined the day you had planned for us. I'll make it up to you, I promise" she smiled.

Bella laid her head on my shoulder as I played her song again. At one point when I looked up I saw Jasper standing in the doorway, giving me a thumbs up sign. He must have had a word with Bella earlier. He had always been good at calming people down.

Having played Bella's song for a second time I was ready to go watch some TV. Bella surprised me by sitting up and stretching her fingers out in front of her before starting to play the chord sequence of Heart and Soul, I began playing the melody in time with her.

After finishing the song I leaned over and kissed her. My lips still against hers I said "Move in with me"

Bella sat back from me. "What?" she asked.

"Move in with me" I repeated.

"Edward, are you crazy? We've only been dating for a couple of months." She was smiling, so I took this as a good sign.

"I know, but it feels right, doesn't it? I mean we spend every night together, so why not make it official"

"Okay" she said, before throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me close to her for a passionate kiss. We didn't let the kiss go to far as we were in my parents house.

"Should we go tell the others?"

"Yes, come on" she said, taking hold of my hand and pulling me towards the lounge, a big smile on her face.

**A/N Okay hope you liked the chapter and you don't think it's moving too fast. I did try to write the song that Edward made for Bella, I got out the guitar and the keyboard but I'm not that great a composer or player (better at the keyboard then the guitar) and I don't have the patience. Link for song played by Bella and Edward is on profile (Bella is playing the Tom Hanks part) I chose that song as when I was messing around on the keyboard it was a song I worked out how to play. As always reviews are welcome. Thanks :)**


	18. Must Be Doing Something Right

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 18.

**BPOV**

Having told Edward's family the news about us moving in together he was now driving me back to mine and Angela's apartment. I couldn't wait to tell Angela the news, I just hoped that she wouldn't be to sad that I was moving out. I figured she wouldn't be too upset because she spent nearly all of her time over at Ben's place anyway.

Edward pulled up outside my building. Once again he ran around the car so that he could open the door for me. He was such a gentleman, I thought men like him only existed in the movies or in the books I read. I took his hand and stood up, after he closed the door I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face to mine and kissing him gently.

We got to the door "Can I tell Angela?" I asked. I thought he may like to do it seeing as I had told his family, I couldn't help it I was so excited.

"Of course you can" he replied, placing a tender kiss on my lips.

I opened the door and walked in, Angela was watching TV. "Hi guys" she said, twisting her head to face us.

"Hi" Edward and I replied, in unison.

"Bella, what's with the goofy smile?" she asked.

"Edward asked me to move in with him and I said yes"

She came rushing up to us "Oh my god. You guys that's great news" She gave each of us a hug.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm moving out"

"No. Actually this is really good news. The past couple of weeks Ben and I have been mulling over the idea of buying a house together. I was hesitant because I was worried about what you would do if I sold this place. Now you're moving in with Edward I don't have to worry any more."

"Ang, that's so sweet" I said, giving her another hug.

After slipping on some shoes and picking up her car keys she said," I'm going over to Ben's to tell him the good news. I'm sure you guys would like some alone time anyway" she said with a knowing smile. Seems she was just as excited to be moving in with her boyfriend as I was to be moving in with mine.

"See you tomorrow" I said.

"Yeah, I'll probably pop in around eight" she walked out the door, leaving Edward and I alone.

I walked back to where he was standing and walked into his open arms. "So, it looks like we're all alone." I said softly.

"Uh huh" Edward replied.

"What should we do?" I asked.

"I can think of something we could do" he said, with a husky voice. He brought his lips down to mine and after a few soft kisses he began trailing kisses along my neck.

"Oh yeah, and what might that be?"

As he continually kissed my neck and nibbled on my earlobe he began explaining his idea to me. "We're going to need some boxes and some packing peanuts"

"We're on our own and all you want to do is pack? Seriously?" I said, raising my eyebrows.

"You do make a good point" he said. His mouth mashed against mine with a sense of urgency and desire. He had been teasing me and I had fallen for it like the sap that I am. We began to walk towards my bedroom. Edward's hands were on my zip, he moved it down at an agonizingly slow pace. "Edward" I groaned against his mouth, willing him to move faster. I unbuttoned his shirt and was already working on getting his pants off by the time he had got my zip all the way down. I stepped out of my dress, and Edward was stripped down to just his boxers and socks.

We only just managed to make it to my bed before becoming overpowered by our desire for one another.

I woke up the next morning to birds singing and sunlight filtering through the tiny gap between the curtains. I looked over to see Edward still sleeping, the sunlight hitting his face, making him even more handsome. I casually glanced a look over to my alarm clock and saw that it was ten to eight already. Angela would be home soon.

I got out of bed, slipped on my robe and carefully cracked the door open, just enough for me to slide out of the room without waking Edward. Today was his last chance for a lie in and I didn't want to disturb him.

I was making my way out of the bathroom when Angela came in. "Hi Bella" she shouted.

"Shh" I said, as I placed my index finger on my mouth. "Edward's still asleep and I don't want to wake him" I explained in hushed tones.

"Sorry" she whispered, tiptoeing closer to me. "No need to ask what you two got up to last night" she said with a knowing smile.

I couldn't help my face flashing with embarrassment.

"Did you guys get any packing done?" she asked, whilst casting her eye across the apartment.

"No, but it's not like I have that much stuff anyway" I admitted meekly. "I can probably get most of it boxed up before I have to go to work and then Edward can take it over to his place whilst I'm working"

"Don't you mean _your_ place?" Angela asked placing an emphasis on the word your.

"Yeah, it's our place now isn't it?"

"Yep" she smiled.

I heard some movement in my bedroom, Edward must be waking up. "Ang, you can go for a shower if you want, sounds like Edward's up."

"Cool, see you in a bit"

Whilst she went off to the bathroom I made my way to the kitchen and started cooking breakfast for all of us.

A few moments later Edward emerged from my bedroom, he was wearing his pants from last night, but hadn't put a shirt on. I stood there staring at his perfect physique.

He walked over to me "Morning beautiful" he said, kissing me on the cheek. "Did I hear Angela come in?"

"Yeah, she's just gone to have a shower and I'm making us all some breakfast" I smiled.

"Bella, shouldn't you be packing?"

"I will after I've finished here"

"I'll make breakfast, you go pack" he said in an authoritative manner.

"Okay Mr Bossy"

"You know you love it" he smirked.

I went back into my room and after deciding what I was going to wear today I started clearing out my closet into a suitcase.

By the time Edward came in to let me know that breakfast was ready I had packed almost everything. I really didn't have that much stuff, even less than what I thought I had.

Angela joined us at the table. "Bella you've outdone yourself, these eggs are really good" she said before taking another mouthful.

"I can't take credit. Edward cooked breakfast" I said, looking towards him, smiling proudly.

"Gorgeous and cooks a mean breakfast" Angela smiled.

Edward's cheeks became a little flushed when Angela said he was gorgeous.

"Angela, what did Ben say about the good news?" Edward asked, quickly changing the subject.

"He's real excited about us buying a house together, in fact he wants to meet with a realtor today"

"He doesn't waste any time does he?" I said.

"No, but then he's been thinking about this for a long time now. He told me to say that he's happy for you guys and hopes that the move goes smoothly." She stood up, took her plate over to the sink

"Anyway, as lovely as this has been I need to get to work. Bella, it was great having you as a room mate" she came over and hugged me. "Edward, you better take care of her. If you don't you'll have me to answer to. You don't want to see me angry, it's not pretty" Her eyes were glistening from where she was welling up, which made me emotional and a single tear rolled down my cheek.

"I will" Edward said, he pulled me close, having sensed my emotional state and comforted me.

"Bye" Angela said, as she walked out of the door, tears in her eyes.

"Bye" I whispered, my voice breaking.

I looked up at Edward's beautiful face. His arms were around me, rubbing soothing circles on my back. "Thank you" I said.

"For what?" he asked, looking into my eyes.

"For being here" I nuzzled my face into his chest. He hugged me even tighter.

I ran off for a shower and got changed, ready for work. I packed what was left of my stuff, Edward had already started loading up the car with my things. I walked out to where he was. "I'll see you later on tonight" I said.

"I'll pick you up from work" he said, before kissing me goodbye.

"Love you" I said.

"Love you too" he replied.

…........................................

By the time I arrived at work everybody already seemed to know that I was moving in with Edward and was congratulating me. "Alex, where's Alice?" I asked.

"Her and Soph are out on a shout. Why?"

"Oh nothing" I wasn't about to tell him the real reason why I needed to see Alice so bad. I'm going to kill her when I see her.

I was halfway through cooking lunch by the time Alice and Soph came back from their run.

"Hi Bella, heard about the good news. Are you looking forward to living with Edward?" Soph asked with a smile on her face. She was always so happy.

"Hi. Thanks and yeah I'm really excited to be moving in with him. Do you mind if I have a private word with Alice?" I grabbed hold of Alice and dragged her towards the kitchen.

"Sure, no problem" Soph said, walking off to the TV room.

"What's the matter Bella?" Alice asked, stealing one of the newly cut carrots.

"What do you think?" I replied with a stern voice.

"I have no idea. You're going to have to tell me" she said, smiling.

"Why did you tell everybody about Edward and I moving in together. Don't you think I should have been the one to tell?"

"Oh god, Bella I'm so sorry. I was just so excited. I felt like I was going to explode if I didn't tell someone. I have a tendency to get a little carried away. Sorry"

"Alice, why is it I can never stay mad at you?"

"Because I'm so loveable" she smiled.

"That's what you think" I said playfully.

The rest of the day flew by and before I knew it Edward was here to pick me up. He stretched over to open the door for me. "Hi, how's your day been?" he said, smiling that award winning smile of his.

"Not bad. Apart from the bit where your sister decided to tell everyone our news. How about you?"

"I didn't really do that much. After taking your things back to our place I just sat and read a book, relaxing."

I leaned across and kissed him, once on the lips.

It was a twenty minute drive back to the apartment. It would be weird having to leave earlier in the morning and getting the El to work everyday.

We got to the door and I was waiting for Edward to open it but he didn't. "Edward why are we standing here? Did you forget your key or something?"

"No. Here" he handed me a key. "I had it cut today. Now that you live here I think you may need it"

I took the key and put it in the lock, it felt a little weird me unlocking the door rather than Edward. It was a good weird though.

As we walked into our apartment I could smell food and see the table laid out. It had candles on it.

"What's all this?" I asked, brushing my hand across the tablecloth.

"I decided to cook for us" he said, whilst lighting the candles.

"I don't know what to say"

"Don't say anything, here take a seat and I'll be back in a minute with the food" he pulled out a chair for me, the way he does whenever we go to a restaurant.

"Mmm this is really good Edward." I said, taking another mouthful of the chicken pasta Alfredo he had cooked.

"Thanks. So, I would of done a bit of unpacking for you but I know how you women like your things in a certain place" he smirked. "I cleared some space in the closet"

"Thanks, I'll start unpacking after we've finished eating."

After dinner I went to unpack whilst Edward cleaned the dishes.

After unpacking I was so exhausted that I decided to call it a night. I walked out of our bedroom, Edward was watching some TV "I'm knackered so I'm going to go to bed" I said.

"Okay, I'll be there in a little while" he had walked over to me. He lifted my chin up and kissed me goodnight.

**A/N Sorry for the wait. I had a bit of difficulty with this one. The dreaded writers block has struck again. Hope you like this let me know. Thanks :)**


	19. Wonderful Tonight

**A/N Don't own Twilight Wish I did. Just want to say a big thankyou for all the reviews you guys give me. It really helps to know that you are enjoying the story. Also big thankyou to everclearbabe who is my unofficial beta she helps me with some suggestions when I am having trouble (she came up with the sandy syllabub for this chapter). Warning: mini Lemon at end of chapter**

Chapter 19.

**EPOV**

I loved living with Bella. She had to take the El to work now as our place wasn't in walking distance to the firehouse. Every night after finishing my shift I would drive to the firehouse and pick her up.

Bella was normally still asleep by the time I left for work, I never woke her up. Today was no exception, Bella was still sleeping peacefully, I brushed her hair aside and kissed her on the forehead, then I whispered in her ear "I love you" I liked to think that she heard me when I expressed my love for her, sometimes I swear that I could see the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile.

Today was my last shift before flying out to Boston tomorrow for a medical conference.

"You all set for tomorrow? Got everything you need?" Mike asked, when he walked into the Doctor's lounge.

"Yeah, I've got my plane tickets and the itinerary for the conference. I think I'm all set, thanks" I said, closing my locker. "I better get out there my shift just started" I walked out onto the floor.

After being brought up to speed on the patients that were in the ER I picked up a chart from the rack. I had a quick look at what the patient's chief complaint was. Bleeding hemarrhoids, great just what I wanted to be dealing with after eating breakfast.

I walked out into the waiting room "Mr Smith" no reply. "Mr Smith" I shouted louder. A man started to make his way over to me "If you'd like to follow me sir." We were on our way into the ER when another man who was sitting in the chair nearest the door that separated the ER from the waiting room, slumped over and fell to the ground.

I began rubbing his chest vigorously, Rosalie had come out to see what all the commotion was. "Sir, can you hear me, open your eyes sir" I said as I continued with my movements on his chest. "No response to painful stimuli, Rosalie can you go get a gurney, please?"

Mr Smith was still waiting patiently beside me "Mr Smith, I'm sorry but you're going to have to sit back down and wait for another Doctor to come see you" Thankfully he quietly walked back to where he had sat previously. He didn't make any grumblings about having had to wait long enough and it not being fair that this guy was being seen first.

Rosalie was back with the gurney and a few reinforcements. I took his head while a male nurse took hold of his legs. "On the count of three" I said. "One, Two, Three" we lifted him up and carefully set him down on the gurney. As we wheeled him into the ER I called across to the admit desk, "Tanya, what's open?"

"Trauma two" she replied, after quickly glancing at the board.

When we arrived in the trauma room I took out my pen light and shone it into his eyes. "Pupils are dilated and sluggish"

"Do you want a BAL?" Rosalie asked, ready to begin a blood draw.

"Yeah, also get me a tox screen and a U&A"

"Sir, wake up" I began trying to rouse him once more. It was having some effect as he began mumbling something.

"Sorry can you repeat that" I still couldn't make out what he said. I leaned my head closer to him to try and hear what he was saying.

"Edward, he drank a litre of antifreeze" Rosalie told me, having understood what he had said.

I jerked my head away from the patient quickly, "I need some ethanol, stat" one of the other nurses in the room went running out to go get some.

"Can we call for a psych consult?" I asked the room.

"I'm on it" Rosalie, said having already moved over to the phone.

"Here's the ethanol." I hooked it up to his IV and had it running as a steady rate. His vitals began improving after a few minutes and he stabilized.

"Keep the ethanol running, come get me if he goes south again" I said, leaving the room.

About an hour later I saw Jane coming out of Trauma Two.

"I'm taking your guy up to the psych ward" she said, walking towards me.

"Not a big surprise" I said. "Why did he do it anyway?" I asked.

"He lost his wife four months ago and he never really dealed with his grief. He has depression and today it all got too much for him" she explained.

"Poor guy" I genuinely felt sorry for him.

"Edward, you free to go get some lunch?" Rosalie called out to me.

"Umm yeah. Thanks Jane" I said, before walking over to Rosalie.

When we got to the cafeteria Emmett was already sat at a table waiting for us. "How's surgery?" I asked him.

"Same old, same old" he said, taking a chunk out of his sandwich.

"Edward, let's not talk about work" Rosalie said pouting.

"Okay, so what do you guys want to talk about?" I asked.

"What's up with you and Bella?" Emmett asked, swigging on his drink.

"Didn't I tell you? We're living together" I couldn't help but smile.

"Going by the goofy smile, I'm gonna assume things are going well in that department." Emmett said.

"Yeah, it's great. I really love her guys. I've never felt this away about anyone before."

I caught them stealing a look at one another. "That's great Edward, I'm really happy for you" Rosalie said, giving me a quick hug.

"Yeah, it's great dude" I was surprised by Emmett's reaction, considering after what he had done when I first told him that I thought I had feelings for Bella.

"Thanks man, that means a lot you saying that"

"So, you're off to Boston tomorrow, huh?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah. This is going to sound really corny, but, I'm really going to miss Bella. It's going to be the longest time we've been apart since we began dating."

Emmett was chuckling, Rosalie slapped him on the arm. "Ow, what?" he said, rubbing his arm.

"It's not funny Em, it's really sweet" she said, reassuring me.

"It's okay Emmett, I probably would have had the same reaction if you said something like that. Thanks Rosalie" I said, looking over to her.

…........................

I was on my way out when Tanya called, "Edward, can you come over here for a second"

"What is it Tanya?" I asked, walking over to her.

"This is for you" she said, handing me an envelope.

I tore open the envelope and took out the folded piece of paper. I unfolded the paper, it had a message typed on it, "Meet me on the roof"

"Tanya, who is this from?"

"I don't know. Why what does it say?" she said with a smirk.

"Never mind, thanks" I walked over to the stairs that led up to the roof.

Whilst I was walking up the stairs I noticed that someone had put up signs that were pointing up.

I finally reached the door to the roof, I opened it and was taken aback to see Bella standing next to a table. She was wearing the blue dress that she had worn to Alice and Jasper's engagement party. I loved her in that dress. Her skin glowed beautifully in the lighting provided by the fairy lights that were hung around. The table had a tablecloth on it and a few candles that Bella had lit. There was a bottle of wine and two plates of food. Bella looked towards me with a gorgeous smile on her face.

I walked over to her and kissed her passionately, our tongues connected in a playful dance. My hands explored her body. "Edward" she moaned, pulling away.

"What?" I asked, my head buried in her neck, kissing and licking my way along her collar bone.

"The foods going to get cold" she pouted.

"Oh yeah" I pulled a chair out for Bella to sit down.

As we ate I asked Bella "How did all this happen?" I gestured to the candlelit dinner.

"I wanted to do something special for us before you have to go. I took the day off work so that I could prepare this extravagant meal for you, which you have yet to thank me for" she smiled.

"I thought that kiss was thanking you" I replied.

"Edward, you need to do better than that. The kiss was just our way of saying hello" she let out a soft, low chuckle.

"The food is delicious by the way" I said, pouring us each a glass of wine. "How did you get the table up here?"

"Actually I didn't, Emmett did"

"What?" I said, confused.

"Yeah, I bumped into Emmett and after telling him my plans he was kind enough to help me out."

"Really?"

"You sound surprised"Bella questioned.

"That's probably because I am"

"Whys that?"

"It's just that Emmett wasn't the biggest fan of us in the beginning"

"How so?"

I took a hold of her hand and gently stroked my thumb across the back of it. "Is it okay for us to talk about it some other time. I don't want to ruin our night"

"Okay" she replied softly. "Are you ready for some dessert?"

"There's dessert" I said.

"Yeah." She walked over to a refrigerated box and came back with two dishes of something she called sandy syllabub. It had a biscuit base and a lemony, creamy topping.

After finishing our meal I said "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yeah" came Bella's reply.

"What are we going to do about all this stuff?" I asked.

"Don't worry Edward, I'll take care of it" Emmett said, coming out of nowhere.

"Have you been here all the time?"

"No. Bella said that you would probably be finished around ten. So here I am ready and willing to clear up this mess so you two love-birds can go back and do things I don't want to know about"

Bella blushed at his comment. "Thanks man" I said, patting him on the shoulder.

When we got to the door we bumped into Rosalie. "You here to help Emmett?" I asked her.

"No, I'm just here to watch. You know me, I don't want to break a nail" she laughed.

"Hi, Bella"

"Hi"

"You two know each other?" I said.

"Yeah we met at Alice's bachelorette party" Rosalie explained.

…....................

We arrived home twenty minutes later. We walked into the apartment kissing. We had only just gotten through the door and Bella was unbuckling my belt. "Whoa, slow down Bella"

"Shut up Edward" she said with hooded lust in her eyes.

I began peeling off her dress "Bella, I want you. I've wanted to make love to you since I saw you up on the roof wearing this dress. You looked incredibly sexy tonight"

Her dress fell to the floor and she stepped out of it. She had unfastened my pants and they too dropped to the floor. I brought my lips to hers and kissed her hard. We walked towards our bedroom. Our mouths parted momentarily as I took my top off. We were both down to our underwear. We collapsed onto the bed, my hands moved up to her bra and I quickly unclasped it and discarded it onto the floor. I cupped her breasts in my hand and applied gentle pressure in a circular motion. Bella let out a little moan at my touch. Her hands were on my waist, tugging at my boxers. Within seconds she had them off me. Her hot hand wrapped around me and pumped up and down. I was panting into her mouth, and as she continued I moaned "Bella, I love you so much"

"I love you too, Edward" she replied, breathlessly.

I took my mouth from hers and trailed kisses down her body. When I got to her panties I removed them with my teeth. I felt her body shiver as I grazed against her thigh.

"Make love to me Edward" she requested.

"Your wish is my command" I replied, before sliding into her. I thrusted gently at first and then picked up the pace. I crushed my lips to Bella's and kissed her passionately. Our heated bodies were connected in a fiery throes of passion.

Iy thrusted one final time before collapsing over to my side of the bed. Our bodies glistened with a sheen of sweat. "That was incredible" I said, kissing Bella on the forehead.

"I aim to please" a sexy smile, plastered on her face. "Edward, I want to drive you to the airport tomorrow morning"

"Are you sure? We're going to have to leave around six in the morning"

"Yes, I don't want to have to say goodbye until I absolutely have to."

"Okay" I was glad that Bella felt the same way I did. I didn't want to have to say goodbye until the last moment, but I would never ask her to drive me all the way to the airport. Seeing as Bella would be driving my car (what with her truck being in Forks) I would drive to the airport and she could just drive back.

I wrapped my arms around Bella's waist and we fell asleep in this embrace.

**A/N Hope you enjoyed this one. If you have any ideas what songs I could use as titles for the past two chapters let me know. As always let me know what you think. Thanks :)**


	20. When You're Gone

**A/N Don't Own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 20.

**BPOV**

We were at the airport and it was time to say goodbye. I couldn't help becoming a little upset, a single tear ran down my cheek. Edward gently rubbed it away with his thumb.

"Bella" he lifted my chin up with his finger. "I'll be back in four days" he said, looking into my eyes.

"I know. It's just I'm going to miss you so much" I said wrapping my arms around his waist, pulling him close to me.

He brushed his lips across my mouth, ever so tenderly, pouring all his love for me into the kiss. It was over far too soon. He placed a few more tender kisses on my lips before saying "Bye, I'm going to miss you too. Love you"

"Love you too" I waved, and then he disappeared into the busy airport.

Driving home I felt nauseous. It got so bad at one point I had to pull over to throw up on the side of the road. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Something wasn't right. I had been vomiting every morning since Alice's party. It had almost been a week, so it couldn't be to do with the alcohol. I hadn't told Edward about it, he didn't need to worry about this on top of everything else going on his life at the moment.

I made a quick phone call to Alex "Hi Alex, it's Bella"

"Hi Bella"

"I might be a little late in today because I have to go to the Doctor's."

"If you're ill maybe you shouldn't come in today. We can cope without you for another day if you need to take a sick day" he said with concern.

"Thanks, but I'm fine, really. See you later"

"Okay, but if you change your mind just give us a call to let me know"

"Will do. Bye"

"Bye"

Once I got home I made and appointment for ten am with my Doctor.

…......................

"Ms Swan, if you'd like to come through now" Dr. Pritchard said.

I followed him through into his room and took a seat opposite him.

"So, what seems to be the problem today?" he asked.

"I've been being sick every morning for about the past week and I don't know why" I explained.

He smiled at me "Is there any chance that you may be pregnant?"

As I sat there doing period math in my head I gasped, my hand clamped over my mouth as I realised that I was over two weeks late. "I guess" I admitted.

He handed me a specimen cup "I'm going to ask you to go to the bathroom and pee into this cup and then when you come back I'll do a test to see if your pregnant or not"

I took the cup, my hands shaking. "Okay, I'll be back in a minute"

A couple of minutes later I handed the cup back to the Doctor. He put some sort of strip in it and after a couple of minutes he announced, "Congratulations, Ms Swan you're pregnant"

Oh my god, I'm pregnant, but how? I was on the pill.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked me, having noticed my confused expression.

"I don't understand how this happened. I mean I'm on the pill."

"It's not one hundred percent effective. It usually doesn't work if you've had some sort of bug."

"Oh" I said, shrinking into my seat. I did seem to recall the pamphlets saying something like that.

He booked an appointment in a months time for a dating scan. After he had handed me some literature on what I should expect throughout the pregnancy, I left the Doctor's office and headed straight to work.

….............................

"Earth to Bella, is there anyone in there?" Alice said, shaking my shoulder.

"Hmm, sorry what?" I said, my mind had various thoughts racing around it.

"What's up with you today? It's like you're on a different planet or something"

"Nothing" I couldn't tell her about my pregnancy. I had to sort out how I felt about it and tell Edward first. "I'm just missing Edward" I covered.

"Oh right, he flew out for that conference today. He'll be back before you know it Bella" she said with a warm smile.

"I know. Still doesn't stop me missing him though"

"I know" she said, giving me a great big hug.

"Thanks Alice" I said, feeling marginally better.

"You're welcome" she said.

"Gotta go Alice" Soph called.

Alice flipped her head back and sighed "No rest for the wicked" apparently they had been run off their feet all shift.

"See ya later Bella" the girls called.

"Yeah see ya" I went back to mashing the potatoes.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. After taking it out I flipped it open. The screen flashed 1 message from Edward. I hit read. 'Hi, just to let you know I've landed in Boston on my way to the conference centre now. Will call you at home tonight. Love E xox.'

Should I tell him about being pregnant when he called tonight? No, this was a conversation that we had to have face to face, I couldn't tell him something as big as this over the phone!

It hadn't even been four hours since I last saw Edward but I already missed him like crazy. How was I going to survive being without him for four whole days? This was stupid, why was I making such a big deal out of not being able to see him? It's not like he had left me, he would be coming back. My head started to ache.

….....................

I had been home for about half an hour before the phone began to ring. I leapt off the couch and picked the phone up out of it's cradle. "Hello" I answered.

"Hi babe" came the voice I had longed to hear all day.

"Edward" I said softly, my mouth curling up into a smile. "Hows the conference?" I asked.

"It's okay I guess. I wish I was there with you rather than here"

"Me too" I sighed.

"Only three more days to go. God I miss you"

"I miss you too. But you need to be there. You said that going to this conference may give you the edge on getting the attending spot for next year"

"Yeah, I really think that it will. Anyways I better go because we have been given some work to do before tomorrow's session."

"Aw poor baby. Their working you hard whilst your away then?"

"Yeah, and from what we were told the work will increase as the conference goes on. As much as I want to hear your voice every night I don't know that I will get the chance to call you again."

"That's okay" I didn't like the idea of not even being able to hear Edward's voice for the next couple of days, but at the same time it only made things harder. Being able to hear him but not being able to touch him and fall asleep in his arms. "Edward?"

"Yes Bella" he replied with enthusiasm.

"Umm, there's something I need to tell you when you get back"

"Is something wrong?" I could hear the alarm in his voice.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's good news, I think." I had no idea how he was going to react to me telling him I was pregnant. I still wasn't really sure how I felt about the whole thing.

"Okay, well I'd better go. Love you"

"Love you more" I replied before hanging up and replacing the phone.

When I climbed into our bed that night it seemed cold and foreign to me without Edward there. I lay there trying to fall asleep, my mind running over the events of today. An hour later I still hadn't managed to get to sleep. I got up, turned on the bedside lamp and reached over to the nightstand where I had left my book. As I began reading I felt my eyes become heavy and within half an hour I had finally fallen asleep.

….................................

The next night I was sitting at home, watching some TV when I heard the buzzer. "Hello" I said, answering it.

"Hi Bella, it's Alice. Can I come up?"

I buzzed her in and then made my way over to the door, opened it and waited for her to appear out of the elevator. When I saw her I was surprised to see that she was carrying a couple of bags worth of food, she also had a holdall slung over her shoulder. "What's all this?" I asked, taking one of the bags from her.

"We're having a sleepover tonight" she said with glee.

"Alice, we're not teenagers anymore" I chuckled.

"You noticed that too, huh?" she laughed. "I know we're not teenagers, doesn't mean we can't have a sleepover."

"Did Edward put you up to this?" I knew Edward wasn't happy about me being here alone whilst he was away in Boston. He had begrudgingly agreed that I could stay home alone, now that I no longer lived at Angela's and Jacob wouldn't know where I was.

"No" she quickly replied. Something about the way she said it made be think that she wasn't being totally honest with me. "I just wanted a girls night"

"And Jasper's alright about this?" I asked.

"Of course he is. Come on let's start drinking" she said, pulling a bottle of Malibu out of one of the bags.

She went to get two glasses. "Alice, I don't really feel like drinking tonight" I said.

"Come on Bella. It's not like your pregnant" she said jokingly. How did she manage to do that?

I paused momentarily, glancing at her with a look of disbelief before asking "What?" followed by another brief pause before I continued "What are you talking about?"

"Oh my god, you are aren't you?" she said, having picked up on my pathetic attempt at lying.

"No" I countered back. I wasn't going to give in that easily.

"Yes. You are totally pregnant"

"So what" I gave in, knowing that it was pointless to keep up the charade.

"I knew it" she said, hugging me.

"Does Edward know?"

"No. I only found out yesterday, after he left"

"When are you going to tell him?"

"As soon as he gets back"

"He's going to be over the moon Bella"

"Do you really think so?" I asked, a feeling of hope running through me.

"If I know my brother, which I think I do. Yes. He's crazy about you Bella, he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, having kids is part of that."

"Has he told you this?" I asked.

"He doesn't have too. I see it, the way he looks at you is the way Jasper looks at me."

It felt good, someone knowing about my pregnancy. "Alice, can we keep this between us? At least until I've told Edward."

"Of course. I wasn't planning on telling anyone anyway. I've learnt my lesson Bella" she said, referring to the last time she told everyone at work about Edward and I moving in together.

We talked into the early hours of the morning. It was only a week before Alice and Jasper's wedding. She told me of all the arrangements that she still had to make. I offered to help her out with some of the stuff. She happily accepted my offer of help. They were going to be married in the Drake Hotel. I have to admit I was looking forward to attending their wedding. I normally didn't enjoy functions like this. I don't know why, but this time something felt different, maybe it was because I would be there with Edward.

We fell asleep, overcome with exhaustion.

…......................

The next couple of days went by in a blur. I was starting to get used to the fact that I would wake up and have to rush to the bathroom. At least the morning sickness would only last the first three months of the pregnancy!

Edward would be back tonight. I couldn't wait to see him and tell him about being pregnant. My conversation with Alice the other night had allayed the fears I had about how he may react to the news.

The day seemed to drag on for ever. Finally it was time to go home, Edward's flight was due to land at O'Hare in a couple of hours. Before he had left he said that he would get a taxi back to the apartment and that I didn't need to go and pick him up.

I got home and opened the door. I had just switched on the light when I heard his voice. "Hello Isabella"

**A/N Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always let me know what you think. Thanks for reading :)**


	21. No Air

**A/N First big thankyou for all the reviews. Hit 150 today. Woop Woop. Hugs to everyone. Okay so brace yourself this chapter is pretty dramatic and has some dark themes running through it. Enough talking on with the story...**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did.**

Chapter 21.

**BPOV**

I spun around to face him, "Jake, what are you doing here? How did you even get in here?" I asked, sounding a lot more confident than I felt.

He stalked across the room, over to me, and pressed me against the wall. "Doesn't matter. I'm here now baby" as he spoke I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He had been drinking again. When was he ever not drinking? He leaned in to kiss me, I turned my head to the side, away from his mouth.

"You bitch" he said, slapping me.

The sting on my face brought tears to my eyes. I'm not going to cry in front of him, I told myself. That's what he wants. I put on a brave face, my bottom lip quivering. His hands came to either side of my face, "Baby, I'm sorry you know I didn't mean it. You brought this on yourself, all I wanted was a little kiss"

"Go away Jake" I said, trying to push myself away from the wall and away from him. He was too strong for me though and pushed me straight back against the wall. His strong arms were now pinning me to the wall. "Just one little kiss, then I'll go Bella. That's all I'm asking for."

How stupid does he think I am? "No Jake, I'm not going to kiss you. I'm with Edward now. Please, just leave" I remained calm, hoping he would do the same.

"So, where is he anyway? If he cares so much about you, why isn't he here with you?"

"He will be very soon" I lied, Edward's flight wasn't due to land for another two hours.

"I don't believe you" Jacob snapped.

"It's the truth" I replied vehemently.

"I think you're lying" he moved his face close to mine again.

Once again I moved my head to the side avoiding his lips.

"Stop doing that" he said, grabbing hold of my head and smashing the back of it into the wall.

This time I was unable to stop the tears falling down my face as I felt an excruciating pain at the back of my head. "Jacob, please stop this" I sobbed.

"You're mine not his. I'm going to proove just how much I love you. We belong together" holding my head, flush against the wall he brought his mouth down to mine and kissed me hungrily. He released my arms and used his hands to grope my breasts roughly. I used all my strength to remove his hands from me. Then I pushed his face away from me.

"Bella, I know you love me, stop pretending"

"Jacob I don't. I love Edward"

He slapped me again "Don't you dare say his name in front of me again" This time his nail caught against my skin and I felt blood on my cheek.

"Stop being a bad girl and let me show how much I mean to you" he said, bringing his mouth back down to mine. He was pinning my arms to the wall again. "Kiss back" he ordered.

"Jake, please" I said, tears rolling down my face.

"Fine, be like that. Your loss" This time he brought his mouth down to my neck and began biting me. "Now he'll know that you belong to me" he sneered. Then his mouth was back on mine, his kiss rough. His hands moved down to my waist and he started undoing my jeans. I tried to move his hands away, but it was no use, he was stronger than I was. Having opened my jeans he began to tug at them. I threw successive punches towards his chest, desperately trying to get him off me. It was all to no avail though, he had got my jeans down past my hips and was unbuckling his belt. I squirmed underneath him and threw everything I had into my punches. As he tore his lips from mine I screamed "Jacob, please don't do this. If you really love me you won't do this" his lips crashed against mine once more.........

**EPOV**

I had told Bella that my flight got into O'Hare at ten pm. It actually landed at eight. I had a special gift for her and I wanted to surprise her. I knew that she would be at home.

I made my way up the stairs to our apartment when I heard Bella scream "Jacob, please don't do this. If you really love me you won't do this" before everything went quiet. How had the son of a bitch found her? I knew I should have insisted that she stay with Alice and Jasper whilst I was away. I would never forgive myself if he had hurt her.

I raced up the last couple of stairs, my keys in my hand. I couldn't get the door open fast enough. I walked into our apartment to find Bella pinned against the wall under Jacob, her jeans were undone and past her hips, his belt unbuckled. I looked at her face, tears were streaming down it.

I ran across the room in a blind rage of fury and dragged him off of her "Get the fuck off of her you sick dog" I had more strength than I thought, he went smashing into the bookshelf, cutting his head on it. Bella used the opportunity to pull up her jeans. I walked over to her and saw her red, puffy eyes, her lips were swollen and she had a cut on her cheek, along with a red mark. "I'm so sorry Bella" I whispered to her, my hand gently stroking her face. It broke my heart seeing what he had done to her. I couldn't bear to think about what would have happened if I hadn't come home.

I was pulled away from Bella by Jacob. A moment later his fist connected with my face. I rubbed the blood away from my mouth. "Bella, call the police" I said.

"I think you should wait before you do that" he said, pulling a gun out of his pocket.

"Just leave Bella alone" I pleaded.

"Okay I will. On one condition, you're coming with me" he said.

"Alright, I'll go with you" I would do anything to save Bella from him.

Bella ran over to me "Edward don't. Please don't do this, you can't go with him" she said, her voice breaking through her tears.

I put my arms on either side of her "Bella, it's going to be okay. I promise" looking her straight in the eye as I spoke.

Then I followed Jacob out of the apartment. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Just get in the car and start driving," he had the gun pointed at me.

**BPOV**

As soon as Edward and Jacob had left the apartment I picked up the phone and dialled 911.

"911. What's your emergency?"

"My ex was in my apartment and he had a gun. He tried to rape me and now he's taken my boyfriend hostage"

"Okay Madam, slow down. What's your name?"

"Bella Swan"

"And your address"

"1211 Racine Avenue"

"Okay, Ms Swan, an officer has been dispatched to your address and will be there shortly to take your statement."

"I'm going to hang up now, okay?" the operator asked.

"Yeah" I said, absentmindedly.

I put the phone down and slumped down to the floor. My body exhausted from all the trauma I had gone through tonight. I began to cry, my entire body shook with my sobs. I felt guilty for whatever was going to happen to Edward. I should have listened to Dad when he told me to press charges. Why had I been so stupid? If Jacob killed Edward tonight it would all be my fault! My chest hurt with the thought of losing Edward.

Ten minutes later there was a knock at the door and an officer waiting outside. After inviting him in I explained everything that had happened in the past half hour and told him all about Jacob and our troubled history.

"Ms Swan, I think we should take you to the hospital. You're in shock and it's probably best if we get you checked out" he said softly.

"NO. I'm not going anywhere until I know that Edward is okay" I said sternly.

"Then I'm going to request you call someone. You need a friend right now."

I called Angela but she wasn't picking up. The only other person I could think of was Alice. A part of me really didn't want to make the call but I knew the officer was right, I did need a friend right now.

I picked up the phone, taking a deep breath and dialled her number.

"Hello" a male voice answered.

"Hi Jasper it's Bella, is Alice there?" Somehow I managed to remain composed.

"Yeah, just a second" I heard him call her to the phone.

"Hi Bella" she said, full of life.

I wasn't able to speak.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

"Oh god, Alice I don't know how to say this. It's Edward" I began to cry again, when I said his name.

"What about Edward?" she asked, panicked.

"Can you just come round to the apartment and I'll tell you when you get here"

"Okay, I'm on my way right now"

It had only taken ten minutes for Alice to get here, she said she had run a few lights to get here as quickly as she could. The first thing she did when she arrived was pull me into a hug and stroked my back, comforting me. "Whatever it is, it's going to be alright Bella"

"It's all my fault Alice. Jacob was here earlier tonight and the only way he would leave was if Edward went with him"

"Edward, can take care of himself" she said, with a small smile.

"Alice, Jacob has a gun"

"Still, the cops are out looking for them right? They've got a description of what Jacob looks like. Their going to find them Bella" I knew she was being positive for my sake but even she couldn't hold back the single tear that rolled down her cheek.

"I'm really sorry to have called you. Angela wasn't picking up and I don't really know anyone else."

"I'm happy that you called me. Edward is my brother and if he's in trouble I want to know about it."

**EPOV**

"Turn left here" Jacob snarled.

I took a hold of the steering wheel and made the turn.

"Why are you doing this Jacob?" After he hadn't answered I carried on. "Bella and I are happy, she's moved on and so should you."

"Did I say you could talk?" he snapped at me.

"Sorry, I'm only trying to help"

"Well I don't need your help. Bella still loves me."

"Are you crazy. She was in tears back there, you were about to rape her. If I hadn't have walked in on the two of you...."

"Shut the hell up asshole" he emphasised his point by using the butt of the gun to whack the top of my head.

"Ow. What the hell?" I began.

"Pull up over there" he pointed to a gap in the deserted street.

After pulling up, alongside the curb and switching the engine off he said "Get out of the car"

I opened the car door and Jacob did the same with the passenger door. As he stood up, he kept the gun pointed at me as he walked around the back of the car. He took a hold of my collar and pushed me forward, towards a building. I felt the gun pressed against my back as he followed me in.

"Go up to the roof"

Knowing that Jacob had the power, holding the gun I did as I was told.

**BPOV**

"Ms Swan. We've got a report of the suspect's car. A unit is on their way to the building now" Officer Munroe, explained.

"See, that's good news. They've found them. Edward is going to be fine" Alice said, a warm smile lighting up her face.

"I guess" I said, not convinced that it was over yet. I wouldn't be happy until Edward was in my arms again.

I got up to make Alice and I a coffee. "Would you like something to drink Officer Monroe?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll take a coffee, two sugars please."

That's when I heard my cell phone ringing. I ran over to it and was overjoyed to see that it was Edward calling. This must mean he was alright and the cops had got to him and Jacob in time.

"Hello" I answered.

**EPOV**

We were standing on the top of the roof about five feet apart. I put my hand up to my forehead, where it was bleeding. I was probably going to need stitches, I could feel the blood oozing down the side of my face.

"Call her" he shouted.

"Call who?" I asked, even though I knew exactly who he was talking about.

"You know who. Put the phone on speaker"

I pulled out my cell and hit speed dial 1. Bella's number. When it began to ring I hit the button to put it on speaker.

"Hello" Bella answered. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Hi Isabella. Any last words you want to say to your boyfriend" Jacob said.

"Jacob, please I'm begging you don't do this. I know deep down the guy I fell in love with is still there. You need help, I can get you that help. Just don't do anything stupid" she pleaded with him.

In the distance I could hear sirens approaching and see blue flashing lights. Good, Bella had called the cops on his ass.

"You bitch, you called the cops on me?" he shouted down the phone. He was waving the gun around. He was losing it big time.

"Yeah, don't get mad Jacob. If you hand yourself in and you can get the help that you need"

"I can't believe you did this to me. Say goodbye to your boyfriend" The gun was pointed at me again.

"Jacob, I'm pregnant. Please don't take away the father of my child" I could hear her crying.

"What?" Jacob asked what I was thinking.

I had mixed emotions of joy, and sadness. Bella was pregnant with my child, but there was a very real possibility that I would never see the child born.

As I looked over to Jacob I saw a look in his eyes. I recognized the look as being one of somebody who had hit rock bottom.

He took the safety off the gun and his finger, rested on the trigger.

A single tear rolled down my cheek as I thought about my unborn child, and that I would never again feel Bella's touch on my skin.

As the cop cars pulled up outside the building I heard the resonating bang of a gunshot and Bella screaming "Edward" down the phone.....

**BPOV**

I heard the gun shot down the phone "Edward" I screamed. No reply.

"Edward" I shouted again. Still no reply. Then the phone went down.

Officer Monroe had only just caught me as I collapsed to the floor in tears.

**A/N I know you all hate cliffhangers, but I have to leave you wanting more. I promise this should be the last cliffie for a little while. Let me know what you think. Thanks :) **


	22. Crazy

**A/N Bit of a short chapter here. It's a bit different, it's written from Jacob's POV. These past couple of chapters are where I have been heading since chapter 3! I could waffle for England. Big shout out to Everclearbabe ( it was her idea that Jake was an abusive boyfriend so if you don't like how he is in this fic blame her not me)**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did.**

Chapter 22.

**JPOV**

She was living with the guy now. How could she do this to me? I love her, gave her everything and this is the way she repays me. Moving in with some new guy! It's as if I never even existed.

I had spent the past three days staking out Bella and the asshole's place. I hadn't seen him since Tuesday morning when the two of them left in his car but only she came back. He must be away somewhere. Meaning that Bella was home alone, I could use this to my advantage.

I was just about to go up to the apartment on the first night when I saw a pixie like woman go up to the apartment. Having stood outside, watching and waiting until three am, I decided that it was a lost cause and went back to the motel I was staying in.

I had spent all afternoon at the bar, downing shots of whiskey. Tonight I planned to confront Bella, having spent the past two nights making sure that there would be no more surprise visitors. I paid the bar man and hopped onto the El, making my way to their apartment. Having spent weeks watching her I knew that she wouldn't be home for at least another half hour.

When I got to the building by some stroke of luck someone was coming out and held the door open for me. I made my way up the stairs to apartment 4B. I picked the lock and let myself in, closing the door behind me. I found my way to the couch through the darkness. I sat down and patiently waited for Bella to return home.

…..............................

Why was she being so rude. All I wanted was one little kiss and she had the audacity to turn her face away from me. Before I was aware of what I was doing I found my hand striking against her face. "You bitch" I said as I struck her.

Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes were glistening with tears. I caressed her face, explaining that I didn't mean to hurt her. Why did she always have to make me angry? She knows I have a bit of a temper, yet she continues to push my buttons and rile me up. I can't be held accountable for my actions when she acts like this.

Next thing I know is she's trying to push me away, but her heart's not in it. I think that she secretly enjoys the dominance I display over her. That's why I pushed her straight back, only this time I pinned her arms against the wall.

I hated myself for doing it, but it was the only way to make her behave. I hit her head against the wall and then kissed her with all my might, pouring all my love for her into the kiss. She felt like home to me. I found myself caught up in the moment and released her arms as I moved my hands to massage her breasts. I felt her hands against me and knew that she felt it too. She still loved me.

I was surprised to find that she had pushed my face away from hers. Why was she pretending that she hadn't felt it, the love that there was between us. I was becoming more and more frustrated and could feel myself losing my cool.

She said the one thing that she knew would hurt me the most "Jacob I don't. I love Edward" My blood boiled at the mention of his name. I slapped my hand across her face, unable to control my rage. "Don't you dare say his name in front of me again"

Back in our original position against the wall, she was still holding back. "Kiss back" I ordered her. She wasn't having any of it though. I took things into my own hands and began to move things along. I bit down on her neck, marking her as mine, now whenever he looked down at her neck he would know that she belonged to another.

I needed her to know how much I loved her and how much I wanted her, I moved my hands to her waist and started undoing her jeans, she brought her hands down to help me. She wanted this just as badly as I did. Then she started playing rough, pounding my chest with her little hands. I quickly unbuckled my belt, wasting no time. Tearing my lips away I could hear her mumble something but couldn't make it out, I was too far gone by this point. The one word I did hear was love, I crashed my lips back down to hers.

What had happened? One minute I was in complete ecstasy, pressed up against the woman I love, the next I was on the floor, having being thrown into a bookshelf. I dabbed at the blood from the fresh cut. Ow!

I looked back towards Bella and saw the asshole all over her. How dare he, didn't he get it? Bella was mine, not his. I pulled him away and punched him in the mouth, drawing blood.

He left me with no other option when he told Bella to call the police. I pulled the gun from my pocket. As he pleaded for me to leave her alone a new plan formulated in my mind. "Okay I will. On one condition, you're coming with me" I said. It was time that him and I had a little talk. He agreed to my ultimatum as I knew he would. I was in control of the situation now.

….............

God this guy had a mouth on him "Did I say you could talk?" He was getting on my last nerve.

I told him the harsh truth that Bella still loved me. The son of the bitch didn't like that. He twisted what had occurred between Bella and I in the apartment into some sick story that made me a bad guy.

When he suggested that I would have raped her had he not walked in on us, I lost it the rage that had been building in me exploded as I hit his head with the gun, telling him to shut up.

"Pull up over there" I said, we had reached our destination after having spent about twenty minutes driving through Chicago. I used the power that the gun gave me to force him up to the roof.

We were on the roof at a distance of roughly five feet apart from each other. Blood was running down his face, a reminder of exactly who was in charge here.

I ordered him to call Bella and to have the phone on speaker, so that I was able to hear everything said between them. I wanted to hear her admit to him that she was still in love with me and that she wanted us to be together again. She may need a little bit of encouragement to tell the truth so I made out that I would hurt him if she didn't speak.

She told him that she knew I was the same guy she had fallen in love with. As she carried on she went on to say that she knew I needed help and that she would get me that help. I was so happy until I saw and heard the cop cars.

Why would she call the cops on me? I was confused by Bella's actions. Everything that had happened this evening had shown me that I wasn't imagining it, she did still love me, now this?

"You bitch, you called the cops on me" I shouted, an all consuming anger taking over my actions. I waved the gun around, still keeping it pointed at the asshole.

I snapped "Say goodbye to your boyfriend" Maybe if he were out of the way she would finally accept our love.

"Jacob, I'm pregnant. Please don't take away the father of my child" I heard her crying.

I was overwhelmed with grief when I heard this. Bella had always wanted children. It had been the one thing that I couldn't give her. A consequence of this was that she had become distant and I began drowning my sorrows with alcohol. Edward was able to give her everything she could ever want, there was no way that I could ever live up to that.

I was emotionally drained, I had nothing left. I clicked the safety off of the gun, my finger resting on the trigger.

My look followed where the gun was pointed, he had a solitary tear roll down his cheek. I pulled the trigger, Bella screamed "Edward" down the phone.

I fell to my knees. What had I done?

**A/N I know another cliffie, I promise this time it is the last one. Next chapter all your questions will be answered. Let me know what you thought. Thanks :)**

**Dream it believe it. **


	23. The Reason

**A/N Firstly It made my day Pittsburgh Penguin winning the 2009 Stanley Cup woop woop. Okay now that's over with on with the story.**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 23.

**BPOV**

"Bella, what is it? What's wrong?" Alice asked.

I couldn't answer her. I was too overcome with grief to do anything other than cry.

"Bella, you're scaring me. Did something happen to Edward?" she continued to question me. She bent down and sat next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I briefly brought my head up to look at her, I saw tears in her eyes. I wish I could do or say something to wipe away the look of sadness from her face, but there was nothing I could do.

"Please Bella, I need you to tell me what happened"

The only thing I could do was to wrap my arms around her. On doing this Alice couldn't stop the tears from spilling out, we sat there for the next ten minutes sobbing together. When we broke away from one another I was able to form the words that hurt so much to say, "Jacob said say goodbye to your boyfriend" I paused, having difficulty carrying on. Alice placed her arm on mine and stroked it reassuringly, encouraging me to carry on.

"Take your time" she said softly.

"Then I heard ….I heard a gunshot" I broke back down into tears, I don't know how I had managed to get the words out. The worst was still to come. "Oh Alice, I'm so sorry. Edward's dead" I said through my tears.

"You're wrong" she said as sternly as she could, pointing her finger at me, her eyes glistening from the tears that were still there. I was surprised by her angry reaction.

"I heard the gunshot and then no more. You heard me scream out Edward's name, twice" I further explained my previous statement.

"I don't care what you say you heard. You're wrong. Edward's alright....he has to be....he's my brother. It's my wedding next week and he has to be there" she completely broke down at this point and slid down the door crumpling to the floor. Her body being overtaken by her sobs.

I went to make my way over to Alice, to try and comfort her. Officer Monroe's radio went off "10-10 in progress. Shot fired at 1211 Dupont Drive."

"10-4 on my way now" he replied back into his radio.

Shot fired. They must be talking about Edward and Jacob. That must be where Jacob had taken him.

"Wait, is that about Edward and Jacob?" I asked.

"I don't know madam" he replied.

"Take me with you" I demanded.

"Sorry, no can do. It's too dangerous and it may not be them anyway" he said, before leaving.

After he left, I quickly pulled on some sneakers and picked up the keys to Edward's Volvo.

"Where are you going?" Alice enquired, lifting her head from her chest.

"I heard the address. I'm going, I don't care what Officer Monroe said."

"I'm coming with you" she replied, standing up.

We ran out to the car. I peeled out of the driveway and we made our way to Dupont Drive.

It was obvious what building it was by the amount of cop cars stationed outside. I was out of the car first and running down the street. I was forced to a stop by some cops. "Please stay back Madam" they said, one of them pushing me back with his hand.

"You don't understand I have to get through" I pleaded.

"Please stay back" they reiterated.

By the time Alice had turned up there was a bit of a commotion at the entrance to the building. A few officers were bringing someone out, I couldn't tell who it was though. There was still a part of me that hoped I was wrong and that Edward would be fine.

My heart sank as I recognized Jake being escorted out by the police. Then an all consuming fury took over my body. Somehow I found the strength to break through the officers that had so far been able to hold me back and rushed to where Jake was standing, in handcuffs.

"You fucking bastard. How could you do this to me? You say you love me but you wouldn't have done this if that were true. I was finally happy Jake, something I haven't felt in a very long time. I will never forgive you for this" I slapped him across the face, tears were streaming down my face as I spoke.

"I'm sorry for everything Bella" he said, a couple of tears rolling down his cheeks.

"That's it. That's all you've got to say?" I screamed at him.

"I'm going to get the help that I need"

Those were his final words before he was placed into the back of a car and driven away.

**EPOV**

By some miracle I was still alive, the bullet flying past me on my right hand side. I knew he had intended to kill me though and that I wouldn't have long before he shot again. Only this time he wouldn't miss!

It had been a few minutes and he hadn't fired at me again. I chanced looking over towards him. Jacob was on the floor, a tear rolling down each cheek. He looked up, staring directly at me. I was conscious that he still had a hold of the gun, though his hand was resting on the concrete roof.

After a few failed attempts at speaking he finally managed to get the words out"Will you help me?"he cried, softly.

I didn't know that I could help him. Not after everything he had done to Bella and now to me. He had just tried to kill me after all, and now he was asking for my help?

Sensing my hesitation he continued, "Bella's right I have a drinking problem and I need help. Earlier on when you said that I would have raped Bella had you not walked in you're right. I know that now" A few more tears spilled down his face. I don't know what it was but something had gotten through to him.

"I can help you but you need to do something for me first" I replied sternly. He had already done the hard part, admitting he had a problem. But he still had to face up to the consequences of his actions.

"What?" he asked, slowly lifting himself off the ground.

"You need to hand yourself in, tell the police everything. Not just about tonight but everything, shooting Bella, the domestic abuse"

It was at this point that the first police officer came crashing through the roof access door, quickly followed by a few more officers. They all had guns that were pointed at Jacob "Put the gun down mow" they shouted.

He dropped it to the floor. "Now kick it towards me" the first guy said. Again Jacob did as requested. As the guy went to pick up the gun his colleagues rushed forward and handcuffed Jacob, they read him his rights.

He didn't resist them in anyway. "I need to make a statement about tonight and another shooting"

I nodded to him in approval. He had done what I had asked of him so I was going to do my best to help him get over his drinking problem. I don't know how easy it would be, with him serving jail time, but I would do everything I could.

"Do you think Bella might visit me one day?" he asked, with a glimmer of hope.

"I don't know, you've really hurt her and she's probably going to need some time. Maybe, one day she will be able to forgive you" I quickly explained before he was carted off by the cops.

The officer who appeared to be in charge approached me, "Sir, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes I'm fine" I replied, all I could think about now was how much I needed to see Bella. My cell battery had died at the worst possible time, she was probably out of her mind with worry.

"I think you need to go to the hospital" he said, eyeing my cut.

"Yeah, I need to see someone first" I said.

"I really think you would be best going to the hospital first, you've been through a rough couple of hours and should get checked out."

"It's alright I'm a Doctor. I promise I will go to the hospital I just need to see this person first. Can you give me a lift?" I asked, having driven Jacob's car here I didn't have anyway of driving back to the apartment.

"Sure, after you've been to the hospital you'll need to pop by the station and make a statement."

"Fine" I said, following him through the door and down the stairs to the entrance.

**BPOV**

After my outburst with Jacob there was a lot of movement around the entrance again. Through the crowd I was just able to make out his messy, bronze-coloured hair. He was alive and bar a nasty gash on his forehead appeared okay. My legs couldn't carry me fast enough over to him. When I reached him I threw my arms around him and hugged him with everything I had, not wanting to ever let him go.

**JPOV**

After firing the gun I thought of what Bella had said over the phone. She knew that deep down I was still me and she was willing to get me help. The words resonated with me and I broke down realizing how wrong I had been about everything.

When I had managed to compose myself to a degree I asked Edward for his help, though I had no right to. He agreed to help me on the condition that I turned myself into the cops, so that's what I had done.

I was in the back of the cop car on my way to the station and then no doubt jail. Bella hated me right now, not that I could blame her after how much trouble I had caused her.

The past couple of months I had seen how happy she was with Edward. It's all I've ever wanted for her, to be happy. Bella had been the only girl I had ever loved and I would love her for the rest of my life, but I wouldn't stand in the way of her happiness any longer. Even though it felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest I knew that not being with her and letting her be with Edward was the right thing to do.

**A/N Hope that answered all your questions and you were happy with the outcome. Yay Jake redeemed himself in this chapter. As always let me know what you thought and thanks for reading :)**

**P.S Chapter Title/ Song refers to what Jake is thinking. Great song as always link will be on the profile if you want to give it a listen.**


	24. We are Broken

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews. You guys are brilliant :) Don't worry this story has still got a long way to go. **

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did.**

Chapter 24.

**EPOV**

I finally took my arms from around Bella. I took a step back and looked at her tear streaked face. I cupped her face with my hand "Are you alright?" I asked, softly.

"You were taken hostage and almost killed and you're asking me if I'm okay?" came her reply, as she looked into my eyes.

"You didn't answer my question"

"I'm fine Edward. I'm just glad that you're okay"

"So, you're pregnant?" I just blurted it out, not sure how to broach the subject.

"Yeah, how do you feel about that?" Bella blushed as she spoke. I found it adorable when she got all embarrassed.

"To be honest I'm a little shocked" Bella looked down at the ground. I placed my index finger under her chin and lifted up her face so that I could look into her eyes. "Bella, I'm happy. I'm over the moon. I've always wanted kids I just always thought that we would get married first. But it's great news. How do you feel about it?" I was happy but was Bella? It was my child but it was her body and I couldn't expect her to put her body through a pregnancy if she didn't want the child.

"Edward, I want us to have this baby" she said.

Words couldn't express how happy I felt at that moment. I gently placed my hand against Bella's stomach and kissed her on the lips.

As I stepped back I was almost knocked off my feet by Alice launching herself at me. "Edward, you're okay."

"Yes Alice I'm fine" I replied. Noticing her inspecting my cut I amended my previous sentence "Apart from the cut" she opened her mouth to say something, but I jumped in first "I know it needs suturing"

"Great, my wedding photos are going to be ruined now" she sighed.

"Why?" I asked, I took hold of Bella's hand as we walked over to the car.

"Duh, you're going to have a scar" she pouted.

"Well I just won't be in the photos"

"No, you have to be. You're my brother and Jasper's best man. It wouldn't be right if you weren't in the photos. I guess I'll just have to grin and bear this one little setback. The main thing is you're okay" she smiled.

"Thanks. Hey can you drive us to the hospital Alice"

"Edward, I can drive us" Bella said, the car keys in her hand.

"I know that. It's just I got you something in Boston and I wanted to give it to you."

"Just give it to me now and then I'll drive us to the hospital"

"Why do you have to be so difficult. Can't you just get in the car?" I asked, becoming more than a little frustrated.

"I'm not being difficult. I just ..." she began.

"Will you shut up?" I chuckled.

"Make me" she challenged.

I brought my mouth down to hers and kissed her passionately. She parted her lips allowing my tongue to slip into her mouth. I stroked her tongue with mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck pulling my body closer to hers. Our mouths separated as we heard Alice cough.

"You two better behave in the car" Alice said, rolling her eyes at us.

I opened the door for Bella and after she scooted across I sat down beside her. Alice turned the engine over and we were on our way to the hospital.

"So, what's so important that I couldn't drive?" Bella asked.

"I missed you so much these past four days" I replied, giving her another quick kiss.

"I missed you too"

"You've gone through a lot since I left. When were you going to tell me you were pregnant?"

"I didn't think it was appropriate to tell you over the phone. I planned to tell you when you got back, but Jake ruined all that" she fumed.

"Bella, he's going to get the help he needs now. He handed himself in to the police. I think it's a real turning point for him. I'm going to help him" I watched her face carefully, looking for the change of expression I knew was going to come.

"What!? Why would you help him Edward after everything he's done to us. I can't believe this. Just when I think I know you, you go and do something like this" she pulled away from me.

I saw Alice looking at us in the rear view mirror. I shot her a look that I knew she would interpret as 'just stay out of it'.

"Bella, I know this is hard for you, but Jacob needs someone to help him now and I just happen to be the person he asked for that help." I tried to explain my actions.

"I'm sorry Edward, but your helping Jacob it just, it hurts. It's like you're telling him that it was okay for him to almost kill you and for him to almost rape me. Do you understand what I mean?" A tear ran down her cheek at the memory of the ordeal she had been put through tonight.

I loosened my grip on the box in my left jacket pocket. Now wasn't the time for my gift. I moved my hand up to her face and wiped away the tear, my hand lingering on the side of her face.

"Bella, I'm going to help Jacob. He did what I asked him to and now it's time for me to hold up my end of the deal. It doesn't mean that I think it's okay that he did the things that he did tonight" It broke my heart to have to say this to her, knowing how she felt about it.

"I can't believe you" she shouted, pulling her face away from my hand.

"Bella, I don't want to fight" She didn't say anything. Instead she just gave me this look that let me know exactly how pissed she was.

"Okay we're here" Alice cut in with her jubilant tone, trying to break up the tense atmosphere that existed in the car.

Bella couldn't get out of the car and away from me fast enough.

"Alice, can you make sure Bella is checked out by a Doctor?"

"Sure, don't you want to be with her?" she asked, a little puzzled.

"I don't think she wants to be around me right now"

"You should go get that cut looked at" she said, before catching up with Bella.

I walked into the ER. "Hi Tanya, where's open?" I asked.

"Hi Edward, curtain three's empty. I didn't think you were on tonight" she hadn't even looked up from the computer she was working on.

"I'm not"

"Ow, what happened to your face?" She asked,, having glanced away from the screen.

"Long story, I'll be in Curtain three if anyone should ask after me"

"Maybe I should get one of the other doc's to take a look at that for you" she said, trailing after me.

"I can fix it myself"

"Oh, okay"

I stared at myself in the mirror as I cleaned my wound. Why was it everytime things started to go well for Bella and I something had to happen that brought it all crashing down?

"Let me have a look at that cut Edward" Mike walked in. I'd had a feeling that Tanya wasn't just going to let me sort it out myself. Being truthful I knew that someone else had to do my stitches.

"What happened anyway?" he asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

I quickly explained that I had been held hostage on top of a roof and that I had been hit by the butt of a gun, hence the cut on my forehead.

"I'm sorry to hear that you've had such an awful night. You've got some vacation time owing, why don't you take a few weeks off" he suggested.

I was shocked at how nice Mike was being to me. "That's alright I've got my sister's wedding this weekend anyways. It's not like I could go anywhere. Thanks for the offer though"

"Okay. Why don't you work up until Saturday and then take two weeks off, after the wedding. I think it would be best if you gave yourself a break."

"If you think that's best" I shrugged.

"This is going to sting a bit"

"Huh?" Then I gritted my teeth as I felt the pin prick of the needle going into my skin, numbing the area around the wound.

"So, it's sorted. After this weekend you're off for two weeks. Maybe you can take that girl of yours on vacation or something"

"Maybe" I wasn't so sure that Bella would want to go anywhere with me at the moment. I just hoped that when we got back home she would give me the chance to further explain why I felt I had to help Jacob.

"When you come back I need you to go out on a ride along with the paramedics"

"Sure"

Our conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Alice cracked the door open "Edward, Bella's fine she's been checked out. They aren't worried about concussion, she's just got a few contusions"

"Thanks, is she ready to go home?" I asked.

"That's the reason I came in here. Bella's still really upset, she's going to come stay with Jazz and I tonight. Here's the keys to your car" she walked into the room, over to where I was sitting and handed me the keys.

I could just see Bella through the gap in the door. It was obvious from her red, puffy face that she had been crying. I hated myself for being the person responsible for her emotional pain at the moment.

"Thanks. I should go say goodnight" I stood up, Mike having finished stitching me up.

"I don't think that's a good idea Edward. Bella just needs some space and time"

"Okay" I sighed, sitting back down. "Thanks Alice"

"You're welcome"

I hadn't made a scene because I didn't want to make things worse than they already were.

After I had dropped by the station to give my statement I drove home.

I crawled into bed, exhausted from everything that had happened. It didn't feel right not having Bella lying beside me. Tonight had certainly not been the homecoming I had planned!

**A/N as always let me know what you thought of this chapter. Thanks :)**


	25. Disturbia

**A/N This Chapter is bittersweet. Stick with it, it get's better by the end.**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 25.

**BPOV**

Jasper had come to pick us up from the hospital. "Hi Babe" he kissed Alice hello as she got into the car and took her seat on the passenger side.

"Hi Bella" he turned his head to face me.

"Hi" I smiled back.

"How are you?" I knew that Alice had filled him in on everything that had gone on tonight.

"I'm okay, considering" I replied.

As we drove back to their apartment I found myself crying again. I had gone through so many emotions tonight already. I had been sad, happy and then angry. I still couldn't believe that Edward had agreed to help Jake. Did he really care that little about me? Even after explaining how it made me feel, Edward was still unwilling to back down on the whole helping Jake thing. Jacob was in jail now but he was still ruining my life!

We arrived at Jasper and Alice's place. "Is there anything you need Bella?" Alice asked.

"No. I think I'm just going to go to bed. Thanks"

"Okay. Spare room is the first on the left"

I made my way into the bedroom and crawled onto the bed. I curled up into a ball and cried myself to sleep.

I woke up in a cold sweat. The sheets wet from my sweat. I hadn't even realized that I had been screaming until Alice came rushing in.

"Bella what is it?"

"I had a nightmare" I replied, feeling like a five year old.

"Do you want me to call Edward?"

"No." I replied quickly.

"Are you sure? He won't mind if that's what you're worried about" she replied softly.

"Alice, can you just leave me alone please. I'm sorry that I woke you"

"If that's what you want" she replied softly. I saw the hurt in her face due to my shutting her out. Then Alice left the room closing the door behind her.

….......................................

I woke up the next morning and heard Alice outside the room on the phone.

"Edward, I'm really worried about her. She woke up in the middle of the night having had a nightmare. She won't talk to me about it though."

Edward must be talking as Alice fell silent. "I think I should take her to see Mom. I'm worried that she might have PTSD and if we just leave her to wallow it will get a lot worse."

Another pause.

"Okay I'll speak to you later, Bye"

I quickly laid back down and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I heard the door open and Alice walking across the room.

"Bella, Bella it's time for you to get up" she whispered, whilst gently shaking me.

"What?" I yawned, keeping up the charade that I had only just woken up.

"Here, I've got a glass of orange juice for you" she handed it to me. I took it and began taking small sips. "I made you some breakfast as well"

"I'm not really hungry Alice"

"Bella you need to eat something"she replied sternly.

"Can you just drop it please. Oh god" I clamped my hand over my mouth and ran to the bathroom. You'd have thought that I would be used to the morning sickness by now. I cleaned myself up and began walking back to my room. Alice stopped me.

"I'm taking you to see mine and Edward's Mom today" she began to explain.

"I have to go to work"

"I've already called and spoken to Alex, he's not expecting you to be in today."

"What did you tell him Alice?" I was upset. I didn't want everyone to know what was going on in my personal life.

"I just told him that Edward was held hostage last night, I didn't say anything about Jacob or what he tried to do to you. You need to talk to someone Bella and my Mom can help with that."

"I don't know. I'd rather just go back to bed. I'm still so tired."

She put her hand on my shoulder "I know you just want to go to sleep but I need you to do this for me. For Edward"

"Why should I do anything for Edward? He's not going to stop helping Jacob even after I explained how it made me feel" I cried.

"I know and I'm sure if Edward is still helping Jacob after you expressed your feelings then I'm sure he must have a valid reason for doing it. Bella, if you won't do it for me or for Edward do it for the baby."

"Okay, okay I'll go if it will get you off my back" It was only the next day, I was allowed to feel a bit out of sorts after everything that happened to me last night, wasn't I? I couldn't see why they were making such a big deal out of it all.

I had a quick shower, my tears running down the drain along with the hot water. I got dressed, wearing Alice's jeans and a top that she had loaned me. I scraped my hair back into a bun and Alice drove me to her parents house.

We arrived at the house half an hour later, Esme opened the door. "Hello sweetheart" she greeted Alice, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Bella, how are you?" she asked, as I stepped through the front door.

"Okay I guess" I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Hi Dad" Alice hollered down the hallway. Carlisle was in the kitchen.

"Hi Alice, Bella" he was soft spoken. "I'm going to work. Do you want a lift to the firehouse Alice?"

"No thanks. I've got the car"

"You sure? I thought you might want to loan your car to Bella so that she can drive back later"

"Dad, you know that nobody is allowed to drive the Porsche."

"Alice" he said tersely.

"It's fine Carlisle I can get the El back" I quickly explained.

"Bye" he kissed his wife goodbye. "It was nice seeing you again Bella. Come on trouble it's time that you were going off to work as well" he took Alice with him.

Carlisle and Alice pulled out of the driveway, leaving just Esme and I.

"Why don't you take a seat in the living room sweetie" she said, gesturing me to go inside. "Is there anything you want to eat or drink?"

"Umm no. I'm okay thanks." I took a seat on the couch.

"I'll just go get us some coffee and cookies, just in case you change your mind" She floated out to the kitchen.

A few moments later she came back in with a plate and two mugs, she rested them on the coffee table in front of me.

"Bella, do you know why you're here?" she asked.

"Because Alice and Edward seem to be worried that I have a problem."

"You don't feel that there is a problem?"

"No, I mean I don't think it's a problem that I'm a little upset after everything that went on"

"Of course it isn't, sweetie. Maybe Alice and Edward are being overcautious, it's because they love you and care about you."

The room went silent as Esme and I just sat there. I shouldn't have agreed to come here, the silence between us was uncomfortable.

"Alice told me that you had a nightmare, do you want to talk about it with me?" As she asked these questions she maintained eye contact with me.

"Not really, I don't think there's much to tell."

"Okay, but if you change your mind I'm here for you to talk to."

"Thanks, Esme" I smiled. I was being polite.

"Why did you stay at Alice and Jasper's last night Bella?"

"Edward is going to help Jacob"

"And this upsets you?"

"Yeah, it upsets me. I just don't understand how Edward can help somebody who tried to kill him?"

"Did you express this to Edward?"

"Yes and he still won't back down. He's still planning on helping Jacob"

"But that's his prerogative Bella. If he is happy to forgive Jacob for hurting him, why aren't you able to get past this?"

"Didn't anyone tell you what happened?"

She looked confused "Tell me what?" she asked.

I felt the tears forming in my eyes "Jacob didn't just hurt Edward last night" I began.

Esme leaned over and took hold of my hand. "It's okay Bella. You can tell me, take all the time you need"

After a few more moments I finally whispered "Jacob tried to rape me. He probably would have succeeded had Edward not come home" the tears rolled down my cheek in a steady stream.

"Oh honey" she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a motherly hug. I broke down into uncontrollable sobs as it all came flooding back to me. Esme started to cry as well as she lovingly stroked my hair that cascaded down my back.

I hadn't had a mother and daughter moment like this since my Mom had died five years ago. She died suddenly after being involved in a tragic accident. Ironically it had been Jake who had been there for me. He knew me well enough to know sometimes I didn't want to talk I just needed somebody to sit next to me and hold my hand.

"I'm scared Esme"

"Scared of what honey?" she asked, wiping away my tears.

"I'm pregnant and I'm scared that I'm going to mess this kid up." I cried out.

"Why would you think that?" she cried. I'm not sure if they were tears of sorrow or joy, I couldn't really tell.

"Because everyone I love either dies or gets hurt"

"I'm sure that isn't true"

"My Mom died, Jacob became an alcoholic, Edward was almost killed last night"

"Oh Bella, none of that is your fault" she said brushing a strand of hair out of my face. "Have you told Edward any of this?"

"No" I admitted.

"I think he needs to know. I'm going to call him and ask him to pop by"

Esme went off into the other room to call Edward whilst I took a cookie from the plate and began nibbling away at it. Alice had been right I had to eat. It wasn't just me I had to take care of, but the life that was growing inside of me as well.

"Edward's on his way over" Esme said, walking back into the living room.

"Isn't he working today?"

"Yes, but he's finishing early. Edward knows this is important."

"Who's birthday?" I asked, pointing to a gift that was stashed in the corner of the room. I was trying my best to lighten the mood.

"Edward's" Esme chuckled.

"When is it?" I asked, a little embarrassed that I didn't know that his birthday was coming up. I was shocked that Alice hadn't mentioned anything to me, she loved any excuse to shop!

"Next Saturday, June 20th. Didn't he tell you?"

"No, I guess with everything that's been going on it slipped his mind"

"Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that he hates his birthday" Esme smiled, before taking a sip out of her fresh mug of coffee.

Esme made us some lunch. It was a late lunch, being that it was already two o'clock. As we ate we talked about Alice and Jasper's wedding. We had just finished eating when I heard a car pull up outside.

Esme went to answer the door whilst I remained seated. As I listened to them saying hello to one another I started to get nervous.

"Hi Bella" he said softly as he walked into the room.

"Edward, you should go sit next to Bella" Esme said.

He approached me cautiously "Is that okay?" he asked.

"Yeah sure" I hated that he felt the need to walk on eggshells around me.

"Hi" he whispered as he brushed his lips over my cheek.

"Hi" I replied, my voice barely audible even to myself. He grabbed hold of my hand and our fingers interlocked.

"Edward, I asked you to come over here because Bella and I have been talking, there are some issues I feel the two of you need to discuss" Edward squeezed my hand a little tighter, letting me know that he was here for me.

The three of us sat there and talked for the next half hour about the various issues that I had raised with Esme this morning. I told Edward everything, about how I was scared about screwing our child's life up. I saw tears pooling in his eyes as he listened to everything I had to say.

We came back to my biggest issue at the moment. Edward willingly helping Jacob.

Edward used his free hand to run through his hair, a nervous habit he had "I don't know, maybe I could ask someone else to help Jake get over his drinking problem. I can't not help him. Bella if you had seen him up on that roof." Edward turned to face me, compassion in his eyes. I started to appreciate how much this was tearing him up inside. On the one hand he didn't want to hurt me by giving Jake the help he needed on the other he couldn't just abandon someone who had asked for his help. Edward's generosity and compassion was one of the many things I loved about him.

"I guess that would make me feel a bit better" I replied. I didn't want us to be like this, I wished that I could turn back the clock and that things were like they had been before Edward went to Boston.

"Edward I don't want to feel like this" I cried.

"Bella, I'm going to help you through this" he said, pulling me close to him and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I sobbed quietly into his chest.

Ten minutes later I heard Edward ask Esme if she could give us some privacy.

"Bella" I lifted my head up so that I was looking at him, he wiped the tears away from my face with his thumb. "Do you remember me telling you that I had a gift for you?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yes" I replied.

He took a box from his jacket pocket and handed it to me. "Open it" he said.

I opened the box, I placed my hand on my chest "Edward it's beautiful" I said. I carefully pulled the bracelet from the box. It was white gold, encrusted with diamonds.

"Read the inscription" he whispered.

It read 'If I live a thousand lifetimes, you will still be my one, my only, my true love' I began to cry again, only this time they were tears of joy.

"Here, let me put it on" he said, taking the bracelet from my hand and placing it on my wrist.

"I love you" I said, then I threw my arms around his neck and pulled his face close to mine and placed a soft, tender, lingering kiss on his lips.

"Are you coming home with me tonight?" Edward asked softly.

"Yes" I replied. "Can we go now?"

"Of course"

I said goodbye to Esme. "Thank you so much for everything" I said as I hugged her.

"That's okay sweetie. I want you to know that I'm here if you ever need to talk"

"Bella, I just need to speak to Mom for a few minutes, why don't you go out to the car" Edward said, handing me his keys. I waved bye to Esme and left the house.

….............................................

That night I fell asleep in Edward's arms. He had wrapped his arms around me in a way that meant his hand was resting on my stomach. I thought of the baby growing inside me as a creation of mine and Edward's love and smiled. I knew that I would need to go and see Esme a few more times but I was determined to get better for me and for my family. I was so lucky to be surrounded by so many people who cared for me.

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews, keep them coming. I do take into consideration any suggestions made. The next couple of chapters should be happier :) I will put a link on my profile for the bracelet that Edward gave Bella. **


	26. Anywhere For You

**A/N Sorry for the wait. Struggled with this one.**

**Don't own Twilight Wish I did**

Chapter 26.

**EPOV**

I was so happy to wake up that morning with Bella lying in my arms. I lay there watching her sleep peacefully, I was glad that she had not had another restless night. Would I ever find out what had happened in her nightmare? It had been the one thing that she seemed unwilling to speak to Mom about.

A few minutes later Bella began to wake up. I leaned across and tenderly kissed her forehead "Morning" I whispered.

"Morning" she groggily replied, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"How are you feeling today?" I asked.

"Better, I think" she replied softly.

"I'm going to make us some breakfast. What do you want?"

"Just a bit of dry toast"

"Okay, dry toast coming right up" I said, jumping out of bed and moving towards the kitchen. As I turned my head round to look at her I saw a small smile on her face. That's when a plan began to formulate in my mind. If I could pull it off I think Bella would love it. I would need Alice's help though.

We ate breakfast and whilst Bella was in the shower I quickly called Alice.

"Alice I need your help"

"With what?" she asked.

" I need your boss's number."

"Why don't you just ask Bella?" I heard a chuckle down the phone line.

"Because I'm planning a surprise for Bella" I replied.

"Ehm Edward. You know how much Bella hates surprises."

"I realize that Alice. This is the kind of thing that will be best if I don't tell her my plans though."

"Be it on your head."

She gave me Alex's number and then asked "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Yeah, can you pack a suitcase for Bella?"

"Oooo are you taking her on a romantic getaway."

"Shut up Alice" I said, reverting back to the bickering from our childhood.

"How long are you going to be away for? You better be back for your birthday, I've already made plans."

"You'll just have to unmake them. I tell you every year not to make a big fuss"

"You would have thought that you would have figured out by now that I don't listen to you. Are you sure you're a real Doctor, because I thought Doctor's were supposed to be smart."

"Bella's coming. I have to go. Bye Alice"

"Bye Edward"

I was just putting the phone back in the cradle when Bella walked in "Who were you on the phone to?"

"Just Alice"

"What were you talking about?"

"Wedding stuff" I surprised myself at how quickly I was able to come up for a reason for talking to Alice.

"I'm looking forward to their wedding" Bella said.

"Me too" I smiled.

"I love you" she said, then walked up to me and kissed me on the lips. I'm sure that she would be able to feel my mouth turning up into a smile as we continued kissing. Her hands wrapped around my neck and her fingers became entwined in my hair. She pulled me closer to her as the kiss became more heated. Our mouths parted and my tongue slid over hers, massaging it. It felt good to be getting back to where we were before the whole Jacob fiasco. My breath hitched as I ran my hand along her waist and moved up until I was cupping her breast.

"Get off of me" she screamed, as she pushed me away from her. My hand dropped down to my side. What had just happened? I thought we were on the same wave length. Tears were rolling down her face as she hyperventilated.

"Baby, what is it what's wrong?" I asked, stroking her tears away, the panic creeping into my voice.

"I'm...so....sorry....Edward. It's...just...it....reminded me of ….what Jake....tried to do....to me." She managed to get out in between sobs.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me, I lovingly stroked her hair, trying to calm her. "It's okay Bella, let it out. I'm here for you" I kissed her forehead. I was even more sure that my plan to take Bella away after Alice and Jasper's wedding was exactly what she needed.

After making a few calls to Alex, Mike and Mom, I was dressed and driving Bella over to see Mom. Bella had stopped crying and was feeling very embarrassed. I tried to reassure her that she had nothing to feel embarrassed about. I told her that I could either sit with her whilst she talked to my Mom or that I would go up to my room if she wanted to talk privately. Whatever she wanted I was happy to do.

Having pulled up into the driveway and switched off the engine Mom had already opened the door. Bella ran into her arms and Mom embraced her. I locked the car door and couldn't help but smile as I watched the way they interacted with one another. It was similar to the way that Alice and Mom interacted.

I was sat in my room as Bella had decided that she would prefer to speak to Mom alone on this occasion.

…...................

I had dozed off on my bed and was woken by a gentle knock at the door.

"Edward, are you in here?" Bella asked, entering the door.

"Over here on the bed" I called to her. She walked over and climbed onto my bed, laying her head down on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and within moments we had fallen fast asleep. I hadn't even realized how tired I was.

We slept through the entire afternoon. If Mom hadn't come to tell us that she had made us some dinner then we probably would have stayed in my bed all night as well.

After dinner Bella went with Mom to help wash the dishes. I went into the living room with Dad.

"So how is Bella?" he asked.

"When she woke up she was doing really well. She hadn't had a nightmare last night and she was getting back to her normal self. Then when we shared an intimate moment she freaked" I was a bit embarrassed talking to Dad about this.

"That's not uncommon Edward. So that's why you're here then. Bella came to see Mom"

"Yeah. Bella is a lot happier since talking to Mom. I think she is making some real progress with the PTSD. Dad do you think it would be okay for me to take tomorrow off as well?"

"I can't see why it would be a problem, Mike was surprised that you came back after the whole ordeal anyway. Are you okay by the way?"

"Yeah, just worried about Bella and the baby"

"Is she still coming to the wedding on Saturday."

"Yeah she's looking forward to it" I replied.

"Good. It will give her a chance to relax and let her hair down."

"Talking about the wedding, I'm planning to take Bella away the next day. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I think it's an excellent idea, she could do with a change of scenery. Something to take her mind off of everything that has gone on. You should probably have a quick word with your Mom though just to make sure."

About an hour later we were waving goodbye to Mom and Dad and on our way home. "What do you want to do tonight?" I asked.

"Do you mind if I just go to bed" she replied as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"I'm feeling rather tired myself actually" I chuckled.

The next day was uneventful. Bella was happy to go to work and I used the opportunity to make travel arrangements. Some times it was an advantage having money! I had some shopping to do as well. Alice had collared me into buying some last minute things for the wedding. I couldn't really refuse after everything she had done for Bella and myself this past week.

It was Saturday, the day of Alice and Jasper's wedding. Alice had taken Bella to her and Jasper's place last night and Jasper had spent the night at ours. I was looking forward to seeing Bella at the wedding. Her and Alice thought that it would be fun if I didn't know what Bella was wearing until the big day. I had reminded them that it was Alice that was getting married, not Bella and therefore it wouldn't be bad luck if I saw her in her dress before the wedding.

Everything was calm and collected at mine. I'm sure it would be a completely different story over at Alice's!

"You ready to be with only one woman for the rest of your life then dude?" Emmett asked Jasper.

"Yep. I'm looking forward to it. How are things going with you and Rosalie?" Jasper asked as he tied his tie and shrugged on his waistcoat.

"No complaints. I love her"

"What?" Jasper and I asked, slack jawed.

"What? You two can love a woman but when I do it's this big thing"

"Well yeah." I replied. Emmett had never been one to settle down, he had always enjoyed playing the field.

"Hey man. That's really good, seriously. I'm happy for you" Jasper said, slapping his hand down on Emmett's shoulder.

"Yeah me too, Em" I said.

It was nice the boys being together like this. I hadn't seen much of Emmett because he was spending a lot of time with Rosalie and Jasper always seemed to be busy of late.

When I saw Bella for the first time at the hotel I was amazed by how stunning she looked in her bridesmaid dress. It was a long, flowing lilac dress. It was simple and had a twist on the bust line. I noticed that it was made complete with the bracelet I brought her. Her hair was twisted up with a few ringlet curls hanging down, framing her face, she had a flower barrette on one side. I must be the luckiest man in the world right now, well second luckiest. Jasper was the luckiest, he was marrying his soulmate.

I couldn't help but spend the entire ceremony staring at Bella and her incandescent beauty. Every once in a while I caught her eye and smiled at her, she smiled back.

As we ate I leaned over to Bella and said "You look beautiful"

"Your not too bad yourself" she smiled back. This was a good sign, she was making jokes.

We finished our food and then I managed to get through my best man speech. I was nervous and everyone probably saw the paper in my hand quivering throughout the entire thing.

A space was cleared for the dancefloor and Alice and Jasper were introduced as Mr and Mrs Hale for the first time. They made their way to the middle of the floor for their first dance. The music started up and I was surprised to see that they danced a very complicated tango routine. That's why Jasper had been so busy of late he must have been taking dance classes. The last time I saw him dancing he had no rhythm I'm amazed just how much he had improved. He must have had an instructor with the patience of a saint!

A familiar song began playing over the sound system. "Can I have this dance?" I asked Bella, offering my hand to her,

"You may" she said taking my hand. We walked out onto the dancefloor and I placed one hand on her lower back and the other was entwined in her hand, her spare hand rested on my right shoulder. As we twirled on the dancefloor our faces were only inches apart.

"I love this song" Bella said and then softly sang one of the lyrics "Have I found you, flightless bird" I smiled at her.

"What?" she asked.

"You look happy" I replied. "Tomorrow I'm taking you away for a vacation"

"Why didn't you say anything. I can't get time off of work."

"I've already spoken to Alex and you have the time off work. Alice has packed a suitcase for you. We'll be driving to the airport tomorrow morning."

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"It's a surprise"

"I don't like surprises" she pouted.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes" she softly replied.

"Before we go. I'm taking you home to Forks. I would like to meet your father"

"I haven't seen my Dad since I left. I'm not sure how he's going to feel about you though" she chuckled.

I placed my hand on the side of her face, and brushed her hair out of her face and leant down, our noses grazing against each other and then I brushed my lips across hers. Our lips parted for a few seconds before they met again, the gentle kiss lasting slightly longer this time. We were in our own little bubble, everyone else in the room disappeared as we shared this moment. I would remember this song for the rest of my life.

**A/N Link for Bella's Dress on profile. I'm open to suggestions for song for this chapter and song for the tango dance. I'm letting you guys decide what the next chapter should be. Do you want BPOV of wedding or Bella and Edward's vacation? Let me know. Thanks :)**


	27. Let It Go

**A/N Big, Big apology for taking so long to update sorry but have been suffering a heatwave here in England and us Brits can't cope with the humid weather! All I wanted to do was sleep lol. Something else I would like to mention some of you may remember when I started this story I said I couldn't update regularly as I was revising for an exam for work. Good news is I got my results last week (only took 3 months!) and I passed. YAY :)**

**Anyway on with the story.**

**Don't own Twilight - wish I did**

Chapter 27.

**BPOV**

Edward and I walked up the stairs to our hotel room, our fingers intertwined. When we reached the door I carefully pulled the room key out of my purse and slipped it into the lock, waiting patiently for the green light to appear.

As soon as the light flashed green I opened the door and pulled Edward through into the room. Having closed the door I brought my mouth to his and kissed him passionately. I wrapped my arms around his neck, running my hands through his hair whilst simultaneously bringing him closer to me. As I slipped my tongue into his mouth, Edward's hands cupped my face, I wanted his hands all over my body but he was holding back for some reason. I could only presume that it was due to my reaction the last time he touched me intimately. I moved my hands down from his hair and began unbuttoning his shirt to show him that I was okay with becoming intimate again.

I was surprised when Edward stopped kissing me and took a step back. "What happened to the kiss?" I asked.

"Bella, are you sure?" he spoke softly.

"Am I sure about what?" I asked.

"You know what" he replied

I stretched my arm out and took hold of his hand and then walked over to the bed. "I'm sure" I smiled, pulling his face to mine and kissing him again. Edward slowly and gently pushed me down onto the bed and I tensed up.

Edward sat up on the bed "Bella you're not okay with this are you?" he said, looking me in the eye.

I sat up to meet him. "I am Edward. I'm ready I want us to make love" my voice full of the conviction that I didn't feel.

"Maybe if we take things slow" he suggested.

"Okay" I replied, hoping that my body wouldn't tense up again. Edward started kissing me again, gently to begin with and then more passionately, his tongue massaging mine. As he broke for air he trailed light kisses on the hollow of my ear and along my collar bone, I felt goosebumps rising across my skin, my heart was racing now. I wanted the sweet taste of his mouth again and lifted his lips to mine and kissed him. I started to work on the buttons of his shirt again, this time he didn't pull away from me.

Having undone his shirt I gently pushed it off of his shoulders and brought my head down to his chest and gently kissed across his torso. Edward began to slowly unzip my dress, I began to feel a panic rising in my chest but chose to ignore it. I didn't want this moment between us to ever end. I crashed my lips to his kissing him fiercely, proving to myself that I was not screwed up and that I could do this. Having unzipped my dress he began removing it, I lifted myself up from the bed so that he could pull the dress off of me. I was in front of Edward wearing only a strapless bra and panties. He, however was still wearing his pants so I began fumbling with his belt buckle and zipper...

I jumped as there was a heavy knock on the door followed by a male voice "Room Service"

"Just a sec" Edward called, standing up and doing his pants back up. I quickly dove under the covers as he opened the door and signed for the food that I'm sure neither of us had ordered!

Edward returned to the bed after closing the door. "Did you order room service?" he asked me.

"No, I thought maybe you had" I replied.

"No. Maybe we should see what is on the tray" he lifted off the metallic tray to find a tub of chocolate sauce and strawberries"

"Alice" we said in unison. I hadn't thought that anyone had noticed us slip away from the reception let alone the bride! That girl seemed to know everything.

"Shall we?" Edward asked, picking up a strawberry and dipping it in the chocolate.

"Who are we to let good food go to waste" I shrugged. I sat up and took a bite of the strawberry he was holding out to me. "Mmm, that's really good" I said and I quickly took the strawberry off of him, dipping it back in the chocolate and feeding it to him. He took a bite, finishing it off and nodded in agreement to how good the taste of it was.

We fed each other in this manner for the next five minutes, we were on the last strawberry when me being the klutz that I am managed to drop some of the chocolate onto Edward's bare chest. "Oops" I laughed. "Here let me get that" I used my tongue to lick the sauce from his chest. He lifted my head up and mashed his mouth against mine and we became locked in a passionate kiss. As we continued kissing I laid back on the bed, bringing Edward down on top of me. My hands working to unfasten his pants once more. I felt his hand brush against my naked thigh and move up towards my waist, my body tensed as I began to panic and before I knew what I was doing I had slapped his hand away from me.

"I'm so sorry Edward. I really thought that I could handle this but maybe I can't" I admitted.

"I told you that I understand" he said, shifting his position so that he was laying beside me.

"Understand what? That you have a freak for a girlfriend" I nervously chuckled.

He turned my head so that I was facing him. "Listen to me. You are not a freak. I don't want to hear you ever say that again, okay?" his words dripping with the love that he felt for me.

"Okay" I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I love you"

"I love you too" I said and then kissed him gently.

He disappeared off to the bathroom to get ready to go to sleep and I took off my underwear before slipping a nightdress on and getting under the covers. I had fallen asleep before Edward had returned.

I woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee wafting under my nose. As my eyes adjusted to being awake I saw Edward leaning across to my side of the bed blowing the steam on the coffee so that the aroma made it's way to me. He had obviously popped out whilst I was still asleep. I took the coffee cup away from him. "Got any food to go with this?" I asked, my stomach making a little growl at the thought of food.

"It's a good thing I picked these up" he said, handing me a bagel.

"Thanks" I said, leaning over to him and giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"You're welcome" he smiled as he took a large bite out of his bagel. "You should probably get a move on because our flight leaves in a couple of hours" he said, glancing at his watch.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier" I asked, panicked that we were going to miss it.

"You just looked so peaceful lying there. I didn't want to disturb you. Don't worry we'll get to the airport in time"

With that I went into the bathroom and had a shower before getting dressed.

In the time I had been gone, Edward had cleared the few things of ours that were in the room.

"Let's go" he said. I really didn't think we had time to get home, pack and make it on time to catch our flight.

Edward checked us out. We said goodbye to his family as they were all down in the lobby and we were now in the car on our way to the apartment.

"Edward, shouldn't you have turned left back there?" I asked, confused as to why he seemed to have forgotten where we lived.

" No, the airport's this way" he replied.

"Yes, I know. If we're going on vacation don't you think it would be wise to pack some clothes?" I asked.

"Suitcases are in the trunk. I had Alice pick out some clothes for you"

"You didn't" I sighed.

"Yes, I wanted this to be a surprise Bella. If I had asked you to pack more than an overnight bag don't you think you might have gotten a little suspicious?"

"I guess" I dread to think what Alice had packed for me. I just hoped she had put something like an umbrella or rain mac in. Forks wasn't exactly the sunniest of places!

**A/N I know this was only short but I wanted to post something now as I am going on holiday on Monday so there won't be another update for over a week :(. As always let me know what you thought. I promise next chapter will be Forks and the vacation from Both POV's there will also be a little surprise for you guys but my lips are sealed as to what it might be. Thanks :)**


	28. Homeward Bound

**A/N Hi Guys, Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. Had a bit of writers block. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 28.

**BPOV**

We made it to the airport with a little time to spare. It was a good thing that we had a domestic flight and not an international one, otherwise we would have missed check in time!

Once we were up in the air, on our way to Forks I asked Edward "Where are we going after visiting Dad?"

"You'll find out in a few days" he said with a crooked smile. He knows I don't like surprises; although, having a vacation after everything we had gone through in the past week was a good idea. When I get home I'll look in my suitcase see if I can get any clues by the clothes that Alice has packed for me.

How is Dad going to react to Edward? Especially when I tell him that we're pregnant. I can only hope that he might be as welcoming as Edward's parents had been. Dad had always been a fan of Jake, that is until he became an alcoholic. I'm sure everything would be fine and I was worrying over nothing....

I came out of my internal monologue when Edward leaned over and asked " Penny for them"

"What?" I asked, having not caught on straight away.

"Penny for your thoughts" he explained with a sweet smile on his face.

"Oh, it's nothing really" I said taking hold of his hand and squeezing it in a reassuring manner. He brought his lips to my forehead and kissed me tenderly, I tilted my face so that I reached his mouth and brushed my lips over his.

A few hours later we were driving from the airport to my Dad's house and as per usual for Fork's it was raining.

Edward had spared no expense on the rental car, he had gotten a silver Aston Martin Vanquish, I only knew this because he had been so excited about the car he had spieled off all this technical jargon, not that I had paid much attention. I didn't really care too much for cars. Having said that I couldn't wait to show him my truck. I was hoping to drive it back to Chicago, although it depended on where Edward was taking us after visiting Dad.

As we pulled into the driveway Edward said, in all seriousness "What's that rust bucket doing here? Does your Dad fix up cars in his spare time?"

I slapped his arm "Hey, don't talk about my baby like that. I'm thinking about driving back to Chicago with it so that I have a car back there."

Edward looked aghast "Bella I'll buy you a car. What do you think about a Ferrari?"

"What would I do with a Ferrari?"

"I don't know, drive it" he chuckled.

"Ha ha, very funny Edward. I'd much rather stick with my truck thank you very much."

"I'm sorry Bella, I love you but, no way is that thing coming back with us to Chicago. Besides which we're going to be flying home from our next destination."

"Can't you tell me where we're going?" I pleaded, pulling my best Alice puppy dog face. He leaned over and caught my mouth with his and kissed me deeply. I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and my fingers became twisted in his hair as I pulled him closer to me.

I jumped in surprise as I heard a loud knock on my window. Dad had caught us in a passionate embrace, I felt the familiar redness spreading across my cheeks. It were as if I were a teenager again who had been caught making out with her boyfriend. I stepped out of the car, "Hi Dad" I said, throwing my arms around him and giving him a big hug. I heard Edward's door slam shut. "Dad, this is Edward, Edward this is Dad."

Edward had walked over to where I was standing and casually wrapped his arm around me, his other arm was outstretched towards Dad "Chief Swan" he said, in a very formal way.

"Hi Edward" Dad replied, taking Edward's hand, a stern look on his face.

"Maybe we should go inside" I suggested, anything to break the tension that was forming. I didn't like the way that Dad was looking at Edward. I really wanted him to like my new boyfriend and the father of my child. I knew I had to tell Dad about my pregnancy at some point but something told me that now wasn't the time.

Edward opened the trunk and he and Dad took a suitcase each into my childhood home. "Where do you want these?" they asked in unison.

"In my old room" I said, a look of disapproval spread across my Dad's face. "Don't be like that. I am an adult, Edward and I share a bed. Before you say anything about not whilst we're under your roof may I remind you we don't have a guest room and Edward shouldn't have to sleep on the couch" I finished confidently. Both of them were staring at me, with shock on their faces.

"Bella, I don't mind sleeping on the couch if it will make your Dad more comfortable" Edward explained.

"No Edward. You'll be sleeping in my bed, with me" as we all climbed the stairs to my room I didn't hear even a muttering out of my Dad. This was a first, rendering him speechless.

"I guess I'll leave you two alone" Dad said, having placed the suitcase he was carrying down on my bedroom floor. "Can I have a quick word with you first Bells, alone" he said with a taut smile playing across his lips.

"Okay" I said, following him out into the hallway.

"I'll start unpacking" Edward called as he crouched down and opened up the first suitcase.

I closed the door to my room, giving Dad and I some privacy, he motioned for me to follow him into the bathroom though.

"What is it Dad?" I asked, tired and wanting nothing more than to have a couple more hours of sleep before having to make dinner for us all.

"He do that to you?" he asked, pointing to a left over bruise from my ordeal with Jake.

"What? No. God how could you even think that? You don't even know Edward"

"So if he didn't do it, who did? Don't tell me you ran into a door or something" that had been my usual excuse when I came home after having a fight with Jake.

"Jacob, he found me" I jumped in surprise as the toothbrush holder clattered into the sink when Dad slammed his fist down.

"Why that son of a bitch" he roared. "Where is he? I'm going to kill him?" the vein in his temple was bulging and his face had turned a beetroot shade of red as his rage overtook him.

"What's going on. Bella are you okay?" Edward said, nervously peering round the door.

"Why didn't you do anything to stop him?" Dad howled, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Dad, Edward did stop Jacob. If Edward hadn't come home when he did..." I trailed off, the memory too hard to recount. My chin quivered and I began to cry. Edward quickly rushed to my side and lifted my face so that I was looking into his eyes.

"You're okay Bella, he can't hurt you anymore. I'm here and I love you" and he kissed me gently on the lips as if to emphasise that love. "I think it would be best if Bella had some rest now" Edward said, ushering me out of the bathroom and towards my bedroom.

"Wait, Edward after you have Bella settled could you come and find me, so we can talk about what that animal did to my baby girl?"

"Yes, Chief Swan"

"Please, call me Charlie"

"Okay, Charlie. I'll find you when I'm happy that Bella is okay" Edward said as we continued walking towards my room.

All though I was still upset about having to relive the whole Jacob incident a part of me was happy that Dad seemed to be warming to Edward already.

I laid down on my bed and Edward moved away. "Wait, don't go" I said, I wanted him to stay with me just a little bit longer.

"I was just going to pull the drapes" he smiled.

"Oh" I said, sheepishly.

He walked back over to the bed and lay down beside me. I moved my head so that I was nuzzling his chest and he stroked my hair in a soothing manner. "What are you going to tell Dad about Jacob?" I asked.

"Only what you want me to" he replied in a hushed tone.

"Tell him everything" I said, a solitary tear rolling down my cheek. Dad needed to know what had happened but I couldn't be the one to tell him.

"Okay, if you're sure?" he said, brushing away my tear with his thumb.

"I'm sure" I replied. His arm had moved so that it was encircling me, pulling me closer to him. I felt his lips as they pressed against my forehead. Before long I had drifted off to sleep in Edward's arms.

I woke up and Edward wasn't next to me. As I looked around the room I saw that Edward had unpacked one of the suitcases but the other one was still standing upright on the floor, unopened. That's odd. I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. It was already eight o'clock. Shit, I still had to cook dinner. I quickly ran a brush through my hair before making my way downstairs. The sight before my eyes had me astonished.

Dad and Edward were in the kitchen making spaghetti bolognese! They were chatting and joking like they had known each other for years, not like they had only just met. I was glad that Edward was there to help. Dad's last attempt to cook, back when I was in high school didn't go so well, the dish had been unsalvageable.

They were so engrossed in what they were doing I don't think either of them were aware that I had come downstairs. "Need any help with that?" I asked, alerting them to my presence.

Edward turned to face me and flashed that crooked smile at me that had the ability to make my heart melt and my knees become weak, I smiled back at him and made my way towards them. That's when Dad walked across the kitchen and ushered me out to the living room. "Dad, what are you doing?" I asked.

"You've spent too much of your life looking after me, ever since your Mom..." he trailed off, even now, he still couldn't bring himself to say the word, died. "It's time for me to look out for you now" he said, a smile spreading across his lips.

"But you always have looked out for me Dad" I replied, settling down on the couch, making myself comfortable.

He kissed my forehead "Thanks for saying that Bells" he said, beaming, his grin reaching his eyes.

No sooner had Dad left and Edward came in carrying a glass of wine. "White wine for the lady" he said, in a posh accent. The hand holding the glass stretched out to me.

"Why yes, thank you Sir" I replied, carefully taking the drink from him. "But Edward I thought I wasn't supposed to be drinking alcohol in my condition?" I asked in a hushed tone so that Dad wouldn't overhear our conversation.

"A couple of sips won't hurt the baby" he whispered back.

"Well you are the Doctor" I said, taking a small sip from the glass.

It was nice to be able to relax. Edward began heading towards the kitchen. "Come and sit down with me" I said, patting the cushion next to me. He happily walked back over to me and plonked himself down. This was the first time since arriving that we were able to just sit and be with each other. He leaned over to me and his lips brushed against mine once, Edward appeared to be nervous to do anything more than that with my Dad being in the room next to us. I wanted more of a kiss though so I used my free hand to cup his face, drawing him back to me, my lips sliding against his. My hand was now nestled in his unruly hair, Edward relaxed and before I knew it we were full on kissing, his tongue having found it's way into my mouth.

"Ahem" I heard Dad cough. "Dinners ready" he continued. This was the second time today I had been caught making out with my boyfriend. What can I say, I love kissing him!

"We'll be out in a second" I called to Dad who had already headed into the dining room.

"What is it Bella?" Edward asked softly.

"I think we should tell Dad about the baby tonight" I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" I replied with confidence. It just seemed the right time.

"Okay" Edward said, giving me a quick kiss. Then he took my hand and we walked into the dining room. When we reached the table always the gentleman, Edward pulled my chair out for me. I smiled and looked over to Dad who was also smiling.

"Nice to see chivalry isn't dead" Dad chuckled. "Well tuck in" he said.

"Dad, there's something I need to tell you" I said, my palms becoming sweaty. I wasn't about to back out now.

"What is it?" he asked in a serious tone.

"Now I know this might come as a bit of a shock, I'm pregnant" I decided to say it quickly, like ripping off a band aid. I nervously bit on my bottom lip as I awaited his reaction. His face was expressionless and there was utter silence in the room.

It had been what seemed like five minutes spent in this tortuous silence and I couldn't stand it any longer "Well, say something" I urged.

"Who's the father?" he asked abruptly.

"Edward" I replied, wondering why he even needed to ask.

"You're sure?" he continued questioning.

"Of course I'm sure. What do you think? I moved to Chicago and became a slut sleeping with every guy I came across?" I said in a jokey way.

"No, of course not. It's just how can you be sure that it's not his?" his teeth grinding as he finished the question.

"What? I already told you Edward was the father" That's when it hit me "Oh God you think it could be Jacob's baby don't you?" I had never told Dad that Jacob wasn't able to give me children and it had been the start of all his problems.

"Well it's a possibility isn't it?"

"No Dad it's not." I replied flatly.

"What do you mean it's not?" he asked. I told them all about how Jacob couldn't have children and that's why I think he had started drinking. Both Edward and Dad listened intently as I told them everything that had gone on between Jacob and me in that dark time.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Dad asked.

"I don't know. I guess I felt it was private" I didn't want to talk about the past though. "You still haven't said what you think about our news" I said, grasping hold of Edward's hand.

"To say I'm a little shocked would be the understatement of the century. But, I guess if you're happy then I'm happy"

I got up, ran over and hugged him. "Thanks Dad"

"You're welcome. If your both done here, why don't you two go out, catch a movie or something"

"Are you sure. I could clean the dishes first if you want"

"Don't be silly, go out, enjoy yourselves. You are on vacation after all"

"Okay, thanks" I seemed to be thanking Dad a lot today.

"Thanks Charlie" Edward said smoothly, as he shook my Dad's hand.

It was rather late by the time we got back from the movies. We quietly made our way upstairs,to my room, not wanting to wake Dad.

We quickly undressed and snuggled up underneath the covers. "Edward?" I asked.

"Yes Bella"

"Why did you only unpack one suitcase?"

"Because the other one is for our next location" he said.

"So?"

"Well if you saw your clothes you might guess where we were going and I can't have that can I?"

"Why don't you just tell me where we're going. It will be like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders"

"Nice try. No, sorry not going to tell you. It's only a couple more days and then you'll know"

"Fine, don't think this is over yet though. I'm making it my mission to find out where you're taking me before we leave Forks"

"Okay sweetie" he said, leaning over to kiss me goodnight. It had been a long and emotional day and it wasn't long before we were both fast asleep.

The next morning I suggested that seeing as how Edward and Dad had cooked dinner last night I would make breakfast this morning. Maybe they could go out for a walk in the woods or something, give them a chance to get to know each other a little bit better and bond.

They had been happy to go along with my idea and I was now in the house by myself. I was in my element flitting around the kitchen.

I had just finished dishing everything onto plates when the two most important men in my life waltzed through the door. Both were in high spirits.

"Mmm. Something smells good" Dad said, inhaling all the aromas of the food I had cooked.

"Morning" Edward said, as he came up to me and kissed me on the lips. It wasn't just a quick kiss either it was a slow and gentle kiss. He had definitely become a lot more confident about kissing me in front of Dad.

We all walked over to the table with a plate each. Whilst we were eating Edward and Dad told me about what we could do before Edward and I had to leave on Tuesday. I just sat back listening to them. This was the first time I had felt truly happy since 'the incident' as I was calling it now. After a rocky start Dad and Edward were getting along better than I could ever have hoped.

The next couple of days flew by and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to Dad. I felt that Dad had gotten to know Edward so well that I asked him for his advice on what I could buy Edward for his birthday.

Having said our goodbyes Edward and I were driving to the airport for the next part of our vacation and I still hadn't managed to figure out where we were going. Turns out that Edward is extremely good at keeping things secret.

"I'm going to miss this car" Edward sighed as we pulled into the parking lot for the rental company. That gave me another idea for his birthday present, a little something to go along with his main present.

I finally knew where we were going. Edward knew that as soon as it came to checking in and confirming the flight details he wouldn't be able to keep it a secret any longer. He had told me where we were headed just before making it to the check in desk. Alice must be rubbing off on me as I squealed out in excitement, throwing my arms around him when he finally told me. I had always wanted to go there, ever since I was a little girl and the other part of the vacation would be fun too I guess.

**A/N Decided to split the chapter into two as it was getting quite long so EPOV of the second part of their vacation will hopefully be up in a few days as I have already written quite a bit. Help - What can Bella have got for Edward's main b'day present? As always let me know what you thought. Hope this chapter made up for the long wait**


	29. Waking up in Vegas

**A/N First off I have amended the previous chapter to explain whilst Bella is going to have some wine she will only take a few sips. Big shout out to Everclearbabe who helped inspire the pool scene with the ball, good times : ) Now on with the story.**

**Don't own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 29

**EPOV**

We had arrived in Vegas early evening. I still had a couple of surprises in store for Bella. The first one was that we weren't staying in a hotel on the strip. No, I had rented a villa for us, with our own private pool. Money was no object when it came to Bella. Yes renting a six bedroom villa was maybe a little over the top for just two of us and we were likely to lose each other in there, then again I looked at it as having a different bedroom every night we would be staying there. I couldn't wait to see Bella's face when she saw it. First though I had to go and get the rental car.

"Are you okay to stay here with the luggage while I so sort out the car?" I asked.

"Yeah sure"

"Thanks Babe" I gave her a quick peck before dashing off to go get the car keys.

"So there was a slight mix up with the rental" I say, having made my way back to Bella and our luggage.

"Oh" she said.

"Yeah, they've given us a Ferrari instead" I say, unable to contain my excitement.

"Really" she says, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not making this up Bella I didn't ask for the upgrade, they just gave it to us."

"What do you mean us?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well I just thought you should test drive this car see if you like the way it handles. Then when we get back to Chicago we can look into getting you your own car."

"Edward, I already told you I don't need a flash sports car"

"I know, but I reckon after a couple of days driving this baby you'll have changed your mind" I said, my hand running across the sleek, body of the car we had arrived at.

I popped the trunk and put our luggage in. Bella had already seated herself on the passenger side by the time I came back to the front of the car. I slide down into the seat, the plush leather fitting to the contours of my body as if it were made for me. My hands resting on the steering wheel I turn the engine over and the car roars to life, the engine purring softly. I take the parking brake off and go into drive, my foot barely having to hit the gas and the car begins to roll forward smoothly. I pull out of the parking lot and build some speed up, the car runs like a dream. How was I ever going to go back to driving my Volvo when we got back to Chicago? With the Vanquish and now the Ferrari I had really been spoiled when it came to fast cars.

"Do you mind slowing down a bit?" Bella asked, whilst we were travelling on the freeway.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was going that fast" I say apologetically, my foot easing off of the accelerator.

"Edward, why are we going away from where all the hotels seem to be situated?" she asked, looking out of the window.

"Oh, we're not staying in a hotel" I smile triumphantly.

"But, then where are we staying?"

"Don't worry love, all will be revealed shortly" I say, my hand giving her thigh a quick squeeze.

"It better be" she replied a little sharply.

After coming off the freeway I pull over on the road, knowing that we are only about five minutes away from the villa I ask Bella to do something for me that she may be uncomfortable with.

"Bella, I was wondering if you would do something for me?" I begin, a little nervous of how she's going to react to my proposal.

"What is it?" she replies, grabbing hold of my hand, having sensed my nervousness.

"I don't want you to see where we are going to be spending the next six nights until we're right in front of the place. So, I was hoping that you would agree to be blindfolded."

"Okay" she sighed. I didn't give Bella enough credit for just how brave she was. I never thought she was going to agree to this so I was left unprepared.

"Just a second" I said, running out to the trunk. I opened one of the suitcases and after a bit of rummaging retrieved a silk scarf that Alice had packed with Bella's clothes. "Thanks Alice"

"What's that?" Bella asked, having heard my muttering.

"Nothing" I said, having got back into the drivers seat. I doubled the scarf over, making sure that she wouldn't be able to see anything through it, then gently wrapped it round her head, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before driving off.

"I would never do this for anyone else Edward Cullen. I dread to think what other people think seeing me in the car with a scarf wrapped around my head"

"Who cares what they think" I said, elated that Bella trusted me so completely. "It's just around this bend" I said.

"Good, because I've had enough of sitting in the dark."

I pulled up in the driveway and switched the engine off. "Just stay there, I'll come round and help you out" the villa looked even better then what it did on the web, the photos really didn't do it justice. I just hoped the interior was as good as the exterior.

I opened the passenger door and took hold of Bella, pulling her up and out of the car. "Okay I just need you to walk a few steps to the right" I said, stood behind her, my hands on her shoulders. Once we were in position I removed the makeshift blindfold and wrapped my arms around her waist, my head resting on her shoulder. The timing could not have been any more perfect, it was sunset and the sky had a golden, orange hue to it accentuating the villa and the palm trees in the foreground.

"Oh my God, Edward it's beautiful" Bella said before turning to face me, her smile reaching her eyes. "Thank you" she said and then kissed me passionately.

It was twilight by the time we actually ventured inside the villa. "Wow" Bella said, as she took in her new surroundings. As I finished hauling in our luggage she went running off to explore the rest of the villa.

She hadn't gotten very far before she came running back "Edward, have you seen the size of the kitchen, it's humongous" she said excitedly, dragging me over to where the kitchen was situated. "I can't wait to cook in here" she grinned.

"Bella, we're on vacation, you shouldn't be doing any cooking. We're here to enjoy ourselves."

"I do enjoy cooking. It's not like I'm suggesting I cook every night or anything. I just think it would be nice to get a bit of food in so that we could enjoy a nice home-made meal" she shrugged.

"If it will make you happy" I sigh, wrapping my arms around her, pulling her in for a hug.

"It will" she says, before resting her head against my chest. We stand like this for a few moments, drinking in the closeness we both feel. With my index finger I gently lift Bella's chin up and then I softly stroked the side of her face and move my head closer to her. Our noses were touching, grazing against one another.

Bella moistened her lips and I crashed my own to hers, kissing her passionately. As her lips parted I darted my tongue into her mouth. Bella's hands had moved to her favourite position, around the back of my neck, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss. Her fingers were twisted in my hair. As I broke for air I turned my attention to spreading light kisses along her collar bone. I was surprised when I felt her tugging at the bottom of my t-shirt. I couldn't help the devilish smile that spread across my face.

I looked at Bella and saw her lust fuelled eyes staring back at me. She curled her fingers around the hem of my shirt and in one fluid motion pulled it over my head, discarding it on the floor. I sucked her bottom lip whilst my fingers worked at undoing her blouse, I slipped it off her shoulders and moved my kissing down the side of her neck back to her collar bone, I knew that she loved to be kissed there, a sweet "mmmm" escaped her lips, whilst I was doing this. I was unsure as to whether I should progress or wait to see how far Bella wanted to take this.

Bella made the decision for me when she began unbuckling my belt, she was prepared to take this further and who was I to deny what she wanted. Of course I wanted it just as much as she did. I caught her mouth with mine once more and as we kissed I unfastened her bra clasp, this soon joined the ever growing pile of clothes to the side of where we were stood. By this point Bella had unzipped my pants and her hand had dipped below my boxers and her hand wrapped around my length and she began working her fingers up and down me, I certainly responded to her touch. As the passion between us intensified I cupped her breast in my hand, using my thumb and finger to manipulate her nipple.

She tore her lips from mine, we were both a bit breathless "So, where's the bedroom in this place?" she said, with a wicked glint in her eye.

"Follow me" I replied, taking hold of her hand and speeding up the stairs to the first bedroom I could find.

I woke up the next morning, Bella in my arms. "Good Morning" she said with a goofy grin on her face.

"Morning" I replied, kissing her on the lips.

"What are we doing today?" she said, bounding around like an excited puppy.

"Whatever you want to?" I reply.

"Maybe we could have a lazy day, just chilling here in the villa. We could pop out and get some groceries, we don't have any food for breakfast. Then come back here and go in the pool, there is a pool right?"

"Yes there's a pool" I smile.

"Then we could go to the strip tonight, watch the fountains at the Bellagio, maybe place a couple of bets in one of the casinos."

Bella got up, wrapping the sheet around herself and made her way over to the closet. On opening she said "Oh right, we didn't unpack last night" a smile creeping across her face as she turned to face me.

"Yeah, I guess we did become a little distracted last night" I chuckled.

"Where's the key for the case, so that I can get some clothes out?"

"It's in my left jacket pocket" I say. As Bella walks out to where I left my jacket I remember with horror what else is in my jacket pocket. "Bella" I call out running after her. "Why don't you go have a shower, I'll do the unpacking" I catch up to her just as she reaches my jacket.

"Okay, thanks" she says and skips off to the bathroom after giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

Phew, that was too close. I delve into the pocket, removing the little blue box and popping it open, taking another look at the ring inside. I put it back and then remove the key for the lock on the case.

"Room for one more?" I ask, walking into the shower cubicle.

"Edward, don't do that" Bella, shrieked.

"Sorry, did I startle you?"

"Yeah, just a bit"

"Sorry" I said, bringing my mouth back to hers and wrapping my arms around her, pulling her close to me.

Bella pulled away from me "Don't think this gets you off the hook" she said, before bringing her lips crashing back to mine.

We spent the morning at the store getting in some bits and pieces so that we could have breakfast at the villa. I also got some steaks, sausages and burgers so that we could have a BBQ, Bella had got some salad bits to go with it.

Once we got back to the villa we changed into some swimwear. Alice had picked a very flattering Bikini for Bella. "You look amazing" I said taking a hold of her hand as we made our way out to the pool. As we walked down the steps into the pool Bella said "Ahh, it's cold"

"It's best to just jump in" I said.

"Are you mad?"

"Come on" I pulled her to the bottom of the steps and said "Put your shoulders under the water" which we both did and a few seconds later we had acclimatised to the temperature in the pool.

I swam a couple of laps, leaving Bella to her own devices.

"What are you doing over there?" I asked as Bella seemed to be wobbling around in the shallow end of the pool.

"I'm standing on a ball and bouncing, why don't you come over here and try it yourself?"

I quickly swam over to her, having picked up the other ball. I attempted to stand on the ball, I put it underneath the water and managed to get my feet to just touch the ball before it popped out of the water in front of me and I was splashed in the face. Once I regained my vision and swept my hair out of my eyes I saw Bella in fits of laughter, still maintaining her balance on the ball. I splashed her face, as I did this she lost her balance and the ball popped out behind her creating yet another splash. Now I was the one who was laughing.

"I'm glad I amuse you" she said in a deadpan voice, and then splashed me.

"Hey" I said.

"You started it" she laughed.

We spent the next couple of minutes splashing each other before Bella took the ball back and somehow sort of leapfrogged onto the ball so that she was standing on it again.

"How did you do that?" I asked. She explained exactly how to bring my feet up and put the ball underneath them and then push down. After a few more failed attempts I finally managed to do it. "Woo" I punched my arm into the air, Bella was smiling at me.

We bounced over to each other and when we got close enough started to kiss. As the passion of our kiss intensified we forgot about our balancing act on the balls and fell under the water as the balls popped out behind us. We brought our heads out of the water, laughing.

We spent the entire afternoon playing in the pool, every so often we would come out of the pool and lay out on the loungers, just soaking up the sun. Bella had her well read copy of Wuthering Heights with her and was reading that at the moment.

I put both my arms either side of her lounger, leaning over her. "Get out of my light" she said.

"Uh uh, no" I said, taking the book out of her hands, moving my lips closer to hers, pausing when my face was about an inch away from her. She brought her arms up and locked them around the back of my neck and pulled me the rest of the way down and kissed me. "Do you want to go out, get some dinner and then go to see the Bellagio fountain and hit some of the casinos?" I asked.

"Yeah, just let me have a shower first, get this chlorine out of my hair" She jumped out of the lounger and went back inside the villa.

Bella came downstairs wearing a beautiful purple, sparkly cocktail dress "You look beautiful" I said.

"Just a little something Alice put in the suitcase for me I guess" she smiled.

"I didn't think I recognised the dress" I wrapped my arm in hers "Shall we?" I asked.

"Yes, lets"

We found a quaint little restaurant and the food was divine. After we had finished our meal we went to the Bellagio and was awed by the fountain and amazed at how well it fit with the music that was being played. I was watching it through the LCD screen of the video camera. **(A/N Go to my profile page for the link to check out the video of the fountain).**

"What Casinos do you want to go to?" I asked, once the show was finished.

"Um, I don't know. Shall we just go to the one in the Bellagio seeing as we're already here?" she suggested.

"Yeah makes sense to me" I replied.

We spent a couple of hours on the slot machines and roulette wheel. We had a few wins but by the end of the night we were down. We had fun though and that's all that mattered.

"Let's go we've got a long day tomorrow" I said.

"What are we doing?"Bella asked.

"Going to the Grand Canyon"

"Excellent" she replied beaming.

As we drove back I decided that now was as good a time as any to tell Bella my news. "Umm I need to talk to you about something" I began, a little nervous.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Have you heard of something called Doctors without Borders?"

"Yeah, it's where Doctors go out to help in other countries or something?" she queried.

"Yes. Well I applied a while back and they got in contact with me the other day to let me know that I'm needed next month over in Darfur" I glanced over to Bella. She didn't look very happy.

"You're not going are you?"

"Well I'm thinking of saying yes"

"You're kidding right?" she shouted.

"No. I applied for it before I met you and I know now isn't exactly the best timing but I'll be back before the baby is born"

"So you think that makes it okay for you to leave me alone. After everything we've been through. I already almost lost you once I don't think I could survive going through that again"

"You're not going to lose me Bella" I reply softly.

"I watch the news Edward. I know enough to know that you can't really make a promise like that to me. Please, I don't want you to go" she pleaded.

"Bella they need help over there. There are only a handful of Doctors caring for a camp of thirteen thousand IDP's" I reply.

"Edward, if you go you could die. You'll never get to see our child. Don't you want to see him or her come into the world?" she asked.

"Of course I do. How could you even suggest that I wouldn't want to be here to see the birth of our child" I said, my voice slightly raised.

"Well you don't seem to mind leaving me on my own to deal with the pregnancy" Bella snaps back.

"I'll only be gone for a few weeks, I'll be back before you even miss me" I reply.

"Like I said before you don't know that" she came back with.

I pull off the road and park up. I don't want any distractions whilst saying the following to Bella. I turn off the engine, unclipped my belt and turn to face her, "Bella, marry me" I say. There was utter silence in the car and I was unable to read Bella's face. It was very frustrating.

"So, what's your answer?" I asked then waited anxiously for her response.

**A/N As always let me know what you think. Now for the surprise I promised a couple of chapters ago. As I have been to Las Vegas I have uploaded a couple of videos on YouTube of my own holiday footage which will double up as Edward's video of their vacation. Links to vids will be on my profile. If you watch the videos and like them why not check out my other videos on YouTube. Thanks : )**


	30. Stolen

**A/N Don't own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 30.

**BPOV**

"So, what do you say?" Edward asks, with a smile on his face.

"No" the word tumbled out of my mouth.

"No?" he questions, taken aback by my response.

"Edward, you can't seriously believe that anyone would say yes to a proposal like that! I mean you spring the whole Doctor's without borders on me, we are having an argument and then out of no where you propose. What did you expect?" After a short pause of silence and Edward looking dumbfounded I continue " Can we just go back to the Villa please?"

"Okay" he mutters under his breath before pulling back out onto the road.

The rest of the car journey is spent in silence. Out of all the ways I have dreamed Edward proposing to me this was nowhere in the picture. It's just not what I had come to expect from him, he was usually so romantic.

As soon as Edward had pulled up in the driveway I stormed out of the car and into the villa. I got myself a few bits from the bedroom that Edward had unpacked everything into and began making my way to another one of the six bedrooms. I heard Edward's soft footsteps as he padded up the stairs. "Bella, where are you?" he called from the room we had slept in last night.

"I'm in here" I called back.

"So I guess we're sleeping here tonight" he said with a crooked smile.

"I am. You can sleep somewhere else. My vote would go with as far away as possible" I said, coldly. I was still mad with Edward.

"Is this the hormones?" he chuckled.

"Get out!" I screamed, pushing him away. I was fuming, did he see this as a big joke. I was mad at him and he wasn't even taking it serious, he was blaming it on my pregnancy! I locked the door so that he wasn't able to get back in.

"Bella, please I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that about the hormones"

"Just leave me alone Edward" I was surprised when I heard him retreating down the hall. I had expected him to try a little harder than that. I collapsed onto the bed wishing that I could turn back time. The day had been so enjoyable, mucking around in the pool and then going to the strip and placing a few bets. Even though we won a few times by the end of the night we were still down, but it didn't matter we had had fun. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. Where had everything gone so wrong? That damn car journey, when Edward had told me he was planning on going to Darfur. I never expected to say no to a proposal from Edward, yet that was what had happened tonight.

I woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon. Maybe cooking breakfast was Edward's way of apologizing for last night. I walked downstairs and took a deep breath, inhaling the different smells. Mmmm fresh coffee. He must have heard me get up and put on the kettle.

"Morning beautiful" he smiled as he began dishing the food out onto two plates. There was a vase in the middle of the table with a solitary red rose.

"Morning" I said, taking my seat.

"Are you ready for today?" he asked, a hint of excitement gleaming through his eyes. "I'm sorry about last night. I should have handled the situation a lot better" he leaned over and pressed his lips against my cheek.

"I'm sorry too. I may have overreacted a little" I admitted, thinking back to my actions last night, kicking Edward out of the bedroom. I hadn't slept very well. I had gotten so used to having Edward at my side it seemed that I couldn't sleep without him now. On more than one occasion I had considered going out and finding him so I could snuggle into his warm, safe chest.

"Just a little" he said with a smile.

"What time are we going?" I asked, sipping my coffee.

"A coach is coming to pick us up at ten"

"I'll go get ready then" I said, getting up and making my way to the bedroom I just hoped that Alice had packed a pair of shorts for me.

It was ten to ten and Edward and I were sat outside our villa waiting for the coach that would take us to one of the most fantastic sights in the world. Alice had packed some shorts and I was wearing them along with a white t-shirt. Edward was wearing cut-off cargo pants and a black t-shirt (he didn't listen to me when I told him that he would swelter wearing black).

A white coach pulled up and the driver jumped out. "Party of Cullen?" he asked.

"Yep, that's us" Edward replied and the driver ticked our name off of the list.

We made our way onto the coach and took our seats. It was lovely and cool inside as the AC blasted us in the face.

"How longs it going to take to get to the Canyon?" I asked Edward.

"The coach isn't taking us to the Canyon. It's taking us to the airport where we'll get on a small plane that will fly us up"

"Oh" I didn't really like planes so was a bit nervous on how I was going to cope flying in a small one.

"Do you want to stay in tonight?" Edward asked.

"Umm, I'm not sure" I replied. "Let's see how the day goes"

After about half an hour and a few more stops we finally made it to the airport.

"If you'd like to form a line and have your passports ready and when told step onto the weighing scales" A man in a uniform shouted across the room.

"You didn't tell me that I needed to bring my passport" I said in horror.

"Don't worry, I've got it" Edward said, producing it out of his pocket.

"Why do they have to weigh us?" I groaned.

"It's so they can even the weight out across the plane" he explained.

"Exactly how small is this plane?" I began to worry.

"It's about a six seater. Don't worry it will be fine" he kissed my forehead, which served to calm my nerves momentarily. "You want to see the Grand Canyon don't you?"

"I guess" I replied, taking hold of Edward's hand. "I just wish we could have gone by coach that's all"

"What and spend most of the day just getting there?"

I saw his point. It was our turn to be served. After checking our passport I was the first to be asked to step on the weighing scales. "Don't look" I told Edward.

"Wouldn't dream of it" he said with a smile.

We were sat down waiting to be called forward for our flight. Still feeling a little tired I laid my weary head on Edward's shoulder, he had his arm wrapped around my shoulder.

"Bella, Bella" Edward whispered in my ear, softly shaking me awake. "It's time to go, their calling us."

"Okay"

We made our way across the tarmac and were told where we would be sat on the plane. Edward and I were at the front, sat across from each other, as the two seats in a row were separated by an aisle. There were a set of earphones in front of me, these apparently would give us information about the Grand Canyon. Edward and I put our set on at the same time, having heard that you could use a video camera throughout the flight Edward rummaged in the bag we had brought with us and pulled out the camera.

I found listening to the spiel that was given about the Canyon was calming to my nerves. As long as I concentrated on what the woman was saying I was able to tackle any bumps we hit. Being in such a small plane you felt everything that much more intensely then you would in a normal plane. There was the constant hum of the engine, which worried me whenever it seemed to change pitch. At those moments I stretched my hand out reaching for Edward's. He always took it and used his thumb to rub soothing circles on the back of my hand. I was relieved when we hit the tarmac of the runway.

"Those of you who are taking the helicopter down to the Colorado River please follow me" A guy with a clipboard said. Edward started following, pulling me along with him. Looks like I would be flying again, it was a little different to a plane though. It might not be so bad. We were taken into a waiting room asked to take a seat and told to watch a video which went over the safety points associated with the helicopter.

By the time the video had played we were told our helicopter was ready. It was just Edward and I this time. We followed the instructions given on the video making sure we ducked our heads as we clambered into the helicopter, didn't want any propeller related injuries. We buckled ourselves in and before I knew it the helicopter had taken off and we were going over the edge of the Canyon and making our descent down to the bottom. The helicopter flight was a much smoother one then the plane, thank god. I even wouldn't mind going for another helicopter ride, maybe over The Strip. I would have to mention it to Edward later.

We were out of the helicopter and the heat was stifling. Edward was suffering from the heat more than me. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "It's hotter than hell down here" he cursed.

"I told you not to wear a black t-shirt"

"I know, it's my own stupid fault"

Before we got on the helicopter they warned us that the temperature would be about 110 degrees and this was a cool day! There were water stations dotted around on the trail down to the river and they advised that we take full advantage and rested, taking a drink of water when we got to these stations. As we started winding our way down the trail the heat was getting to me and I was glad when I could see one of the water stations. Edward got a cup for me and then poured one for himself. I knocked the water back in a few seconds I had become that dry in about ten minutes. We could just make out where the river was and there was a dock where people were getting in and out of boats.

"Are we going on a boat?" I asked, making the most of the shade that had been set up at the water station.

"Yes, it should be cooler going along the river at least" Edward replied, the beaded sweat on his forehead was now rolling down his face. I bet he would like to take his top off but he couldn't because he would probably burn in minutes with the hot sun baring down on us.

Five minutes later I was being helped onto the boat, Edward followed me onto the boat and we took our seats. There was a nice breeze as we went down the Colorado River. The guy driving the boat gave us little snippets of information and pointed out anything of interest. I was a little sad when our tour ended as it meant having to climb back up to the helicopter in the blistering heat. It would be worse then coming down as we would be climbing up hill this time!

The helicopter dropped us back at the main airport and we were transferred onto a coach that would take us somewhere were a lunch had been prepared for us. Once again the coach was lovely and cool because of the AC circulating around it.

I got off the coach and started following the rest of the tourists and our tour guide over to the BBQ when Edward pulled me back, "Bella, we're parting ways from the rest of the group for lunch" a smile playing across his lips.

"Edward, you're going to get us in trouble we've only got an hour and we've got to be back on the coach. I don't want to miss it" I replied.

"I'll have you back in time. I've informed the tour guide where we're going to be anyways" I can't remember him talking to the tour guide at any point.

"Okay" I relented and allowed him to pull me to a secluded spot.

When we got there I saw a table a few feet away from the edge of the Canyon. There was a white tablecloth spread across it with a single red rose in a vase in the middle, this seemed to be a theme with Edward today. Our food was already there waiting for us and two glasses of water. Who had set all of this up? I couldn't see anyone in sight. "How did you do this?" I asked, well and truly gob smacked by what laid before me.

"I know some people" Edward replied, he was wearing that crooked smile of his that I loved so much.

I leaned over to kiss him. "Thank you" I said, pulling away from him and walking over to the table. The view was breathtaking. I had seen video and pictures of the Grand Canyon but it didn't even come close to the real thing. The magnificence of it can't be put into words, you had to come and experience it for yourself.

Edward pulled my seat out for me like he always does. I was surprised when he didn't take his own seat. Instead he bent down on one knee in front of me. Oh my god!

"Bella, I know we've had our ups and downs but I think after everything we've been through we're closer than ever. You are my everything, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know last night was the wrong time to ask so I'm hoping that this makes up for it" I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as Edward dug into his pocket and dug out a pale blue box, he flicked it open and inside was the most exquisite ring I had ever seen. The diamond was sparkling in the sunlight. I moved my hands up and over my mouth as he continued.

"You are my life now. Words can not express how overjoyed I am that we are going to bring a beautiful baby into this world. There's no one else in this world that I would want to be the mother of my child other than you. Isabella Marie Swan will you do the honour of becoming my wife?"

Edward had everything perfect this time, it was the perfect setting, the perfect ring and the perfect words but there was still one thing bothering me. "I have one condition" I said.

**A/N Hope you liked this chapter. Video of Grand Canyon(apologize that no audio) and picture of ring links can be found on my profile. I have also put up chapter 1 of a new Bella and Edward story called A Chance Meeting - it will be more faithful to the book e.g. the Cullens will be vampires in it. Feel free to check it out. Thanks : )**


	31. Only You

**A/N Don't own Twilight - Wish I did**

Chapter 31.

**EPOV**

On bent knee I waited for Bella's answer to my question. I'm sure this proposal was better than my last.

Finally she spoke "I have one condition"

I already knew what she would ask me to do but I wanted her to say it. "Name it" I said, my knee began becoming uncomfortable but I wasn't going to move from my spot until Bella had said yes.

"I will marry you if you promise not to go to Darfur. I know that it's incredibly selfish of me as dozens of people would benefit from your going out there. I love you Edward and I don't want to lose you" she said becoming teary- eyed.

I already knew how I would reply, I would do anything if it made Bella happy. "I won't go to Darfur" I said softly.

"You won't" she said, a little taken aback.

"No, I thought about what you said last night and if you really don't want me to go I won't" I smiled as I saw the corners of her lips turning up into a smile.

"Thank you" she said, bending down to join me and wrapping her arms around me. Then she planted several, little kisses on my lips.

When I was able to I said "I take it that's a yes then?" the glee evident in my voice.

After leaning back from me, Bella said the one word I was longing to hear "YES! I would love to marry you Edward Cullen" she cried tears of joy as I placed the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit, I'm glad that I had seeked Alice's assistance when I went ring shopping.

I stood up, pulling Bella with me. I felt relief as I lifted my knee up, off the ground. I wrapped my arms around her waist and just stood there staring into her soulful, brown eyes for a few minutes before taking her mouth in mine, kissing her passionately. I tore my lips from hers as I became conscious that we didn't have much time left before we had to get back to the coach. I pulled Bella's chair out for her and once she was seated sat across from her.

We were on our way back to the coach, walking along with our hands entwined and our bodies touching. I kept on inclining my head towards Bella's, giving quick little pecks on her lips, cheek or forehead. I don't think I had ever been so happy in my life.

It was a couple of hours later and we had left the Grand Canyon and were on the coach, on our way back to the villa.

"Just so you know. I'm not getting married until after the birth" Bella said, patting her belly.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to have a baby bump and look all puffy for my wedding" she pouted.

"Women look their most beautiful when they are pregnant" I whispered before nibbling her earlobe.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better"

"It's true. You look radiant" I beamed.

"Whatever. I'm still not getting married, I don't want everyone pointing at me and saying that it was a shot gun wedding"

"Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?" I chuckled, letting Bella know that I was only teasing.

"Only you" she sighed.

"Who should we tell first?"

"Alice" we said together. No one would be as excited as she was.

"Oh God. How am I going to tell Dad?" Bella panicked.

"Something tells me that he is already going to have an idea about our engagement" I smiled.

"You told him?" Bella accused.

"Well it's a bit difficult to ask for your hand without telling him that I'm going to propose to you" I said lightheartedly.

"How did he take it?"

"He's happy for us"

"Really" she quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, Bella. Your father's not quite the monster you make him out to be you know"

"I know. Just for the record I don't think Dad is a monster" she said leaning her head on my shoulder.

"You're tired. You should rest I'll wake you up when we need to get off the coach."

It didn't take long before I heard her breathing slow to a peaceful rhythm. I stroked a hair from her face and pressed my lips to her forehead.

"Bella, we're here" I said, nudging her gently.

"Huh? Oh right, yep I'm up" we made our way down the aisle and off the coach after thanking the driver.

"What do you want to do tonight?" I asked, opening the front door.

"I think we should go out and celebrate" she smiled, the smile reaching her eyes. I hadn't seen Bella s mile like that in a while.

"Let me go shower and get changed" she said, kissing me on the cheek before running up the stairs.

I also went to shower and when I finished I put on some black slacks, a crisp, white shirt and a black jacket, thinking it would be nice to get a little bit dressed up. Who knows where we might end up tonight?

Bella came down the stairs, a vision in white. She was wearing a very simple white dress that fell to the knees. Teamed with the outfit were a pair of silver shoes. She had curled her hair and piled the curls up into an elegant twist of some sort. "Wow, you look amazing" and the best bit was the sparkling ring on her finger.

"Why thank you kind sir" she smiled.

"You're welcome"

I opened the passenger door of the Ferrari for her and then ran around to my seat and started up the engine. The car purred out of the driveway and we were on the road.

We found ourselves discussing the wedding plans again and Bella was beginning to fret about all the arrangements and who we should let plan the wedding, even though we both knew that Alice was going to be the one. No way was she going to let anyone else plan our wedding.

"I just wish there was some easier way to do this. I don't want a big grand ceremony Edward. I want it to be just you and me"

I stopped as the traffic light turned to red. I looked over to my left and there was Cupid's wedding chapel. I looked over to Bella who had followed my eyeline and seen the chapel. "It could be just us" I said as we smiled at one another, sharing a look.

**A/N Sorry it's so short. Let me know what you thought. Am having problems with putting links on my profile but have an idea for how to do it. If it works will have link for Bella's dress and links for last chapter. Thanks : )**


	32. Lost in The Moment with You

**A/N Don't own Twilight - Wish I did **

Chapter 32.

**BPOV**

"You're kidding right?" I said to Edward.

"Why not? We're here, we love each other, we want to get married" he replied, smoothly.

"Um, where do I start? We only got engaged a couple of hours ago, our families aren't here, I haven't got anything to wear. Oh and one last thing, Alice would kill us if she found out that we got married without her." I ticked the list off one by one on my fingers.

"Just that last one makes it worth doing, don't you think?" he smiled a cheeky grin.

"Edward" I scolded. Although now I started to think about it, getting married here would make things so much easier. None of the fuss that goes along with a wedding. We could pop into the chapel and be married within the hour.

"I don't know, part of me thinks it's a cliché getting married in Vegas."

"I think it's sort of romantic. Besides it's just an idea, we don't have to get married here. I love you and that's not going to change. Whatever you decide I'm happy to go along with it." He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

"It's a green light" I said, having noticed the change.

"So, are we getting married here or not?" he asked, driving away from the lights.

"I'm not saying no but I have a slightly different idea as to how we could do it. How quickly can you pull things together?" I asked.

"Depends what you want? I have a lot of good contacts across the country that can pretty much sort anything out. What's your idea?" he looked at me inquisitively.

I told him my plan as we drove down the strip. It would keep everyone happy including me. When I was finished Edward smiled and said "It's perfect".

….............................................................................

It was the day of the wedding and I still couldn't believe that Edward and Alice (of course) had managed to arrange everything so quickly. Was there anything the two of them couldn't do when they worked together. It was three days after Edward had proposed and everybody was here. Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme, Dad and Angela and Ben.

"Stay still Bella" Alice said, her voice muffled by the pin that was in her mouth.

"I can't. I'm so nervous"

"I still can't believe that your getting married" Angela said with a beaming smile.

"I know" I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Done" Alice said and took a step back to appreciate her handiwork.

"Bella, you look gorgeous" Angela said, hugging me.

"I just wish Mom was here today" I said, looking up, a tear in my eye. "Oh, I promised myself I wouldn't cry today" Alice handed me a tissue and I dabbed at my eye.

There was no pattern in the dress it was just a plain, white simple dress that fell past my ankles. You could probably even wear it as a smart, summer dress. But as I told Edward a few days back I didn't need anything fancy, it's not who I was.

Alice was working on my hair fastening it into a loose chignon on the side and finishing it with a white lilly on the side of my head. The makeup I wore was in neutral colours, again nothing too fancy.

There were two raps at the door "Can I come in?" Dad's voice called.

"Yes" I shouted back. He walked in wearing his grey suit, Alice quickly put a flower in his button-hole. Dad had taken an instant liking to my little pixie friend.

"Thanks" he acknowledged.

"Bella, you look. Wow, my little girl's all grown up. You're beautiful" his voice broke as the emotion began to overwhelm him. I had never seen my Dad like this before. "You ready to go?"

"Uh huh" I smiled.

It took us about an hour to get to where the wedding was taking place, since I saw this place I knew that it was where I wanted to get married. The other day it had just been Edward and I sat at a table here but today there was a little white gazebo set up and a dozen or so white chairs with white orchids and lemon roses linked across them. The bouquet I held in my hands had the same arrangement in it.

I saw my new family, the Cullen's, all looking at me lovingly and of course Edward was standing at the end of the makeshift aisle in a white suit, contrasting against the vivid orange/red colour of the Canyon. Standing next to him was Jasper, whom Edward had asked to be his best man. Edward smiled warmly at me and I smiled back.

Dad linked his arm in mine and we started to walk down the aisle to Dashboard Confessionals Stolen, played by violinists that Edward had hired for today. This was the only extravagance I had allowed him for the day. Just before we reached Edward, Dad turned his face and kissed me on the cheek and then unlinked his arm from mine, giving my hand to Edward. We walked the remainder of the aisle and stepped into the gazebo, where the minister was waiting to marry us.

The minister began "We are gathered here today to join Edward Anthony Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan in holy matrimony"

"It's just Bella" I whispered. Edward let out a little chuckle, as did Jasper who must have also heard my comment.

The minister continued asking if anybody knew of any reason why we shouldn't be wed. "Speak now or forever hold your peace" He allowed a minute of silence before continuing but it seemed like a lot longer than one minute to me. I breathed a sigh of relief when we began reciting our vows.

We both recited the traditional vows and were about to place the rings on each others fingers when Edward said.

"Before we move onto the rings, I've got something that I would like to say" Oh no. What could he possibly want to say and why couldn't it wait? Everything had been running so smoothly. He continued "Bella, you don't know how long I waited for you to come into my life. From the moment you came into the ER I knew you were my soulmate. Each day I find something else that I love about you. I want to spend the rest of my days cherishing you, together we can face anything" he grabbed my hand. "I love you, always and forever" As I looked into the congregation their wasn't a woman who wasn't having to dab at her eyes.

I suspected that he might do something like this and had come prepared, just in case. "Alice" I called. She rushed up to me, pushing the piece of paper into my hand. "When you proposed to me it reminded me of this poem I read when I was younger and I think it applys" I unfolded the piece of paper and recited the words there: " I carry your heart with me(I carry it in my heart)I am never without it(anywhere I go you go,my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling) I fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)I want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart  
I carry your heart(I carry it in my heart)"

I heard a whisper of "That's so sweet"

Edward was beaming and we got back to the ceremony. Our rings were a simple, white-gold band with a stone set in the centre. Inscribed on the inside was the word soulmate.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride"

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him and then using his other hand lifted my chin with one index finger and kissed me gently, the kiss was a lingering loving and tender kiss. I could just hear a round of applause as our family and friends clapped.

I was ready to walk down the aisle as Mr and Mrs Cullen but Edward held me back. "There's just the small matter of our first dance" he whispered.

"But I thought that happened at the reception?" I asked, puzzled by what was going on.

"It does, but it's such a beautiful setting here and we have this gazebo I thought that we could do it here instead"

Jasper disappeared and came back with and Ipod and some speakers. "Introducing Mr and Mrs Cullen in their first dance" he shouted. Everyone turned to look at us as Big and Rich's Lost in the Moment With You began playing. I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck and his were wrapped around my waist and we started to sway in time to the music.

"I still can't believe we're actually married" I said, everything had happened so fast.

"I know, it's crazy isn't it?"

"I don't think so" I replied looking deep into his eyes.

"Did I tell you how much I love you?" he smiled.

"You might have mentioned something to me" I shrugged. "I love you too" I smiled and then brought my lips to his and kissed him. As we kissed I had the feeling that Mom was there looking down on us and smiling.

**A/N After the reviews I went a slightly different way with the story. Wasn't planning on them getting married yet but it seemed to be the popular choice. Let me know what you thought. P.S. Links for dress and rings on my profile.**

**Everclearbabe (if you haven't already guessed it we are friends) and I have arranged a little competition between ourselves a lemon one-shot between Alice and Jasper and would like you to read the stories and decide who the winner is. The rules we set for ourselves our posted in the A/N. Please follow the link to my story and you can pick the link up to Everclearbabe's from there .net/s/5314695/1/Pleasurable_Business **

**Thanks and enjoy : )**


	33. Amazed

**A/N Sorry it's taken so long for this update. I had a bit of difficulty with the best man speech (had to do some research) Hope you enjoy : )**

Chapter 33.

**EPOV**

We had eaten our meal and I had just finished my speech and now the moment I had been dreading was here. It was time for Jasper to make his best man speech. I just hoped he would be gentle. I took hold of Bella's hand for comfort.

Jasper stood up "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the two bridesmaids, I would like to thank Edward for his kind words. For once in my life, I find myself agreeing with him - they look stunning" as he said this he made a point to look over at Alice. "And only rightly outshone by our bride, Bella. And, I'm sure you'll agree with me gentlemen, today is a sad day for single men, as another beauty leaves the available list. And ladies, I'm sure you'll agree that today's passing by without much of a ripple" Bella blushed at Jasper's kind words.

"I've been Edward's best friend for nearly 20 years. I've known him for a similar period.

And all the time we've spent growing up together means that he's had as much of a part in developing my sense of humour as anyone. So, whilst I have tried to make this speech funny, it's his fault if it's not." That earned him a quiet chuckle from everybody.

"I have very fond memories of growing up with Edward. I've been his partner in crime on many a wild occasion and, in quieter times, a close confidant to whom he could tell almost anything. And I do mean anything – which has provided me with ample material for my speech this evening." Another laugh from his audience.

"Edward you still owe us guys a bachelor night by the way. Don't worry Bella I'll return him to you, more or less in the same condition that I pick him up in" he winked at her whilst saying this.

"Edward and I have done many things together during our almost life-long friendship. Over the years we've worked together, rode our bikes together, played hockey together, ditched school together, tried to chat up girls together – note the word "tried" there – occasionally got drunk together and now we are sharing a top table together." He beamed.

"And like all friends, we've certainly had our downs as well as our ups. I remember back to times when a petty argument would arise from nowhere. Then Edward would call me smelly, and I'd call him 'big ears'. And then it would spiral out of all proportion and we'd each end up running home in tears. But sure enough, the next day, Edward would drop me an email from work and we'd make up. As good mates do, however old.

But it was particularly in our teenage years that these little spats became quite frequent, and would often arise over a young lady. They'd generally be of the 'I saw her first', 'no, I did' variety. I'd like to say we worked these disputes out equitably, but Edward was the smooth-talking, early-developer of the two of us and he genuinely believed he could have any girl he pleased. Unfortunately for him, though, he never managed to please any." An uproar of laughter came from our friends and family. I too found myself laughing along with them.

"Until, that is, he met his lovely bride. Since then I've never known him to be happier. And, considering he's now spending less time at the bar and less time on the golf course, it's certainly a testament to the way he feels about Bella.

Now, as Edward's chief golf partner and drinking buddy, it's not that great for me. But I'm man enough to stand here today and tell you that I don't resent it. And how could I when I see how very happy they are together.

And I, as much as all of you, want _their_ happiness to last forever. Just as I have been lucky enough to find happiness with Edward's beautiful sister Alice. " He looked at Alice and she smiled at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on a final and serious note, please be upstanding and raise your glasses to my very best friend and his beautiful new wife. To Edward and Bella."

"Edward and Bella" everyone chorused, raising their glasses.

Once Jasper had sat back down I whispered my thanks to him, to which he responded, "I wasn't joking about the bachelor party by the way" with a smirk.

…...............................

Bella was my wife and she was carrying our unborn child. Getting married here in the Grand Canyon at the exact spot where I proposed had been a stroke of genius on Bella's part.

I would have been happy if it had just been me and her in Cupid's wedding chapel. Although, on reflection I'm glad that Bella had insisted that our friends and family were here. It was only right that they were here to share our special day with us.

I was waiting for Bella to come down. After the speeches Alice had whisked her away for some reason. We were at the Bellagio and would be spending the night here. It was Carlisle and Esme's wedding present. When we got everyone out here we had told them that the villa we were renting had plenty of rooms for them to all stop with us. Dad had been the one to say that we should be alone for our wedding night and that's when he handed me the key card for our room.

"How's it feel to be a married man?" Emmett asked, bringing me back to the present.

"It's great" I smiled.

"Got any plans for tonight?" he winked at me.

"Like I'd tell you"

"Aw, you're no fun Eddie"

"Don't call me that" I hated when he called me Eddie and he knew it.

"Looks like the wife's here" he pointed to the left-hand side of the room. Bella had just walked in with Alice by her side. She had changed out of her wedding dress and was now wearing a simple white dress with a black design just above her waist line. It was floaty and airy and allowed Bella the movement to dance the night away if she wished. Her hair was now hanging loose with curls falling down her back.

Emmett had moved away, back to Rosalie and Alice left Bella's side to join Jasper. "So, what do you think?" Bella did a little spin in her new outfit. I was seeing a side to her that she had never shown before. Alice must be starting to rub off on her!

"You're the best looking girl in the room" I crookedly smiled. The one I knew was her favourite. I lifted my hand to her cheek and caressed her face, she closed her eyes at my touch and moistened her lips. My mouth met hers and then we were kissing, slow and tender. "I love you" I whispered as I pulled my lips from hers.

"I love you too" she replied sweetly. I wrapped my arms around her waist and we swayed in time to the music.

…....................................................

It had just gone past midnight and everyone was ready to go back to the villa. We said our goodbyes before Bella and I made our way up to the honeymoon suite. I opened the door and the bed had rose petals sprinkled all over it. "Well that's just not practical" I said, starting to sweep the petals off of the bed"

"It's supposed to be romantic" Bella sighed. "Why you sort out the bed I'm going to go and get changed" she left with a smile on her face and a bag in her hand.

I was already undressed, lying in bed when Bella walked out of the bathroom looking like a sexy angel. "Wow, you look breathtaking" I said, and I meant every word. She was wearing a white babydoll and thong. "Where did you get that?" I inquired, I knew it hadn't been in her suitcase as I had unpacked them a couple of days ago and I think I would of remembered seeing it! My breath hitched as she walked over to the bed and straddled me.

"It's just a little wedding present from Alice" she smiled, her hand lightly caressing my face.

"Do we have to talk about my sister?" I had to admit though Alice did seem to have a knack for making Bella look more beautiful than I thought possible. I would have to thank her for the gift the next time I saw her.

"Not if you don't want to" Bella started to plant little kisses all over my face, until she came to a rest at my lips. I kissed her back, pulling her closer as I deepened the kiss. My hands were running up and down her body, touching every inch of her heated, responsive skin. I removed her thong gently and she moaned against my lips as my fingers grazed her centre.

I was now on top of Bella and I nipped at her collarbone as I slid inside her. She bucked her hips up in rhythm with my thrusts. Using her hand she brought my face to hers, recapturing my mouth with hers. My tongue found its way into her mouth where she massaged it with her own. We were perfect for each other in every respect. It were as if we were made to fit together, for the first time I found myself believing in the idea of soulmates and Bella was mine. "I love you so much " I said softly.

"Love you too" she smiled.

Having ridden out our pleasure simultaneously I collapsed back down on the bed. Bella rested her head in my chest. "Goodnight Mr Cullen" she said, nipping at my torso.

"Goodnight Mrs Cullen" I said, kissing her forehead. I fell asleep a very happy man.

**A/N As always let me know what you thought. Also if you have any ideas for a song for this chapter let me know. This story only has about another five or so chapters before it will be finished, therefore I have decided that I am going to write them all before posting. Once I am done I will put up a chapter each day. **

**In the meantime feel free to check out my one-shots by following the below links (take out the spaces): http :// www. fanfiction. net /s/ 5314695/ 1/ Pleasurable Buisness, Alice and Jasper**

**http: // www. /s/ 5328447/ 1/ The Day we Met, Rosalie and Emmett**

**http: // www. /s/ 5345838/ 1/ We need to stop! Bella, Edward and Jake**

**Thanks : )**


	34. Don't Know Why

**A/N Sorry, it's been so long. Bad news is I have finished this story. Good news is I will be updating once a day (might be twice today) Thank you for being so patient. I just hope that it is worth the wait.**

Chapter 34.

**BPOV**

It was time to leave Las Vegas. I was sad to be going home, this was the best vacation I had ever had.

"Ready to go?" Edward asked.

"Uh-huh" I said, taking another quick look around the villa before leaving. The rest of our friends and family had left a couple of days ago, so that we could have a bit of a honeymoon.

…...........................

"I sure am going to miss this car" Edward sighed as he handed the keys over to the clerk. "I can't believe that you never drove it!"

"I couldn't pry you from the wheel" I chuckled, wrapping my arm in his.

"I asked more than once if you wanted to drive and you said no" he replied, a little wounded.

"Edward, I'm only teasing" I explained. "I told you before I don't much care for fast cars"

"Yet" he smirked.

….......................................

On the flight home I had a horrible realization. "What is it? What's Wrong?" Edward asked, having seen the expression on my face.

"With all the chaos surrounding our wedding I totally forgot about your birthday" I said. I hadn't even gotten him a birthday card.

"Bella" he spoke softly, his hand cradling my face. He was wearing that sexy crooked smile of his that I liked so much. "I have everything I want right here" his other hand moved so that it was resting on my pregnant belly. I felt the smooth texture of his lips as they pressed against mine, he kissed me tenderly.

"That's really sweet and kind Edward but I do plan on getting you a present once we're back home." I kissed him once on the lips. I came across feeling tired all of a sudden and leant my head on Edward's shoulder, trying to get comfortable. It wasn't long before I was fast asleep.

…..........................

One week later.

I was waiting in the Doctor's lounge for Edward. Today was my first scan and Edward said he wanted to come with me. I told him that I didn't mind going on my own, that it wouldn't be a problem. Of course he had insisted and wouldn't shut up until I agreed. He loved the new Ipod touch that I got him for his birthday and the little model of an Aston martin vanquish.

"Sorry, sorry. Are we going to be late?" Edward rushed into the lounge.

I quickly checked my watch, "No, we've still got about ten minutes before we have to be there" I said, standing up from my seat. Edward poured himself a cup of coffee and winced as he took a gulp.

"You didn't drink any of this while you were waiting did you?" he said, screwing his face up.

"No, why?" I replied.

"It's disgusting" and with that he tipped the remainder of it down the sink. "Okay, let's go" he took hold of my hand as we left the ER and made our way to OB.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, as we walked the halls of the hospital.

"A bit nervous actually" I felt his hand tighten on mine, his attempt to comfort me.

"Why?" he chuckled.

"I don't know. What if something has gone wrong and I've lost the baby?" I had said to myself that I wasn't going to let Edward know about all my little insecurities regarding my pregnancy.

"It will be fine" he kissed my forehead.

"I'm sure you're right but I can't help worrying."

"Hello, name please" the desk clerk asked.

"Bella Swan" I mumbled.

"Ah yes" she said as her eyes ran down the list of appointments. "If you take a seat in the waiting room and someone will call you in shortly" she smiled.

"Thank you" I smiled back. Edward and I walked over to two spare seats. We had literally only just sat down when my name was called. We followed the midwife into a room, where she asked me to hop up onto the bed and lift up my top.

"You may find this a little cold" she said, squirting some gel on my stomach. I clasped Edward's hand anxiously as she moved the probe over my belly, I was waiting to hear a heartbeat or see something appear on screen.

"Looks like you're about eight weeks" the midwife smiled pointing to something on the screen that I couldn't see. "Does that sound about right?" she asked.

"Um yeah I guess" I replied thinking back to my last period.

She wiped my belly dry and asked "Would you like me to print you a copy of the scan?"

"Yes please" I answered. As I glanced towards Edward I couldn't help noticing the proud smile on his face.

"If you go see Sandy out on the front desk and she'll book you in for your next scan. Congratulations you two" then she walked out the door, leaving me clutching our baby's first picture.

"Edward?"

"Yeah"

"I can't see it" I sheepishly admitted. Had I been looking in the wrong place? All I could see was a bean shaped thing.

"Can't see what?" he asked.

"The baby"

"It's right there" he said, taking the scan and pointing at the bean shaped thing.

"Where? I still can't see it" I was becoming a little bit emotional.

"You see this bean shaped thing, that's the baby"

"Oh, well I saw that" I laughed.

"Just ask next time Hun" he pressed his lips to mine briefly.

"OK, thanks"

"I better be getting back to work before Mike comes looking for me" he kissed me goodbye and left.

This was really happening, I was pregnant. Edward and I were going to be having a baby in seven months time. Somehow seeing the scan made it all the more real and tangible.

**A/N As always let me know what you think : ) Small spoiler by the end of the story a character will die (gasp!) Will put up title and link to song once I've worked out which one to use. **


	35. Hero

Chapter 35.

**EPOV**

"Bella, I'm off to work now. I expect I'll see you at some point throughout the day" I shouted upstairs.

"OK, have fun" she called back from the bathroom "Don't be too mean to Alice"

"You do have a low opinion of me don't you?" I replied.

"Edward, I work with Alice. Don't think she hasn't told me every little sordid detail about your childhood" she was walking downstairs now.

"If that's the case then I think she deserves some light hearted abuse" I smirked.

"Edward Cullen you shock me" Bella replied in mock indignation.

I kissed her goodbye "Don't forget I'm expecting spaghetti bolognese for lunch" I felt something soft hit me on the back "Hey" I turned around to see Bella giggling.

"You'll get what you're given"

I left our apartment and drove my silver Volvo to the firehouse. I was actually looking forward to today. It would be a new and exciting challenge, working out in the field with only yourself and the person you were working with to rely upon. Also it should be fun working with Alice and Soph.

"Hi Edward. Are you ready for today?" Soph asked as I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a coffee.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Do you want some?" I asked, gesturing to the coffee.

"Thanks" she said, passing me her cup.

"So how busy is it usually?" We walked over to the table and sat down.

"It changes day to day. Some times it's so quiet we start clearing the refrigerator just for something to do and then other days we're on runs all day long, wishing we could get a rest. I s'pose you want a quiet day so you can spend some time with Bella" she chuckled.

"Obviously I would love to spend time with my wife. I think I would prefer to be rushed off my feet though. I don't want to be hanging around here and distracting Bella from her work"

"Someone's got a mighty high opinion of himself"

"Hi Alice" I called, knowing only she would say something like that.

"Hi big brother" she walked over to me and ruffled my hair.

"Get off" I said, swiping her hand away.

"I'm not playing Mom for you two" Soph said. Alice started to pour a cup of coffee for herself when our first call came through.

"Great" she groaned, slamming the cup down on the counter.

I rode in the back of the rig and the girls were in front. We had both the lights and siren going on our way to the shout. It was an elderly gentleman who was short of breath. We got to the address and Alice was banging on the door "Sir, it's the paramedics can you let us in please" there was no reply. She tried once more before going to get a key from the owner of the block of apartments.

"OK Sir, we're coming in." Soph said as we all walked through the door.

The man was collapsed on the floor, I was the first to get to him. I was listening to his chest to see if he was breathing when out of nowhere a cockatoo appeared. It dived right at me "Whoa" I shouted. It kept coming at me, I was flapping my arms around trying to shoo it away. Finally it flew over to the window and came to a rest. "Ow, I think that thing cut me" I pressed my fingers to my forehead and sure enough I was bleeding. "Damn it, that bird is a menace to society"

"Come on Edward it was probably just protecting his owner." Alice said. Whilst I was wrestling with the bird Soph and her had checked to see if the patient was breathing and had intubated him. Soph was bagging him whilst Alice was keeping an eye on his vitals. I took some gauze and applied pressure to my cut. Ten minutes later and I was still bleeding "Damn, I'm going to need stitches"

"Stop acting like a baby and help us load this guy onto the rig"

"Don't call me a baby" I replied, rolling the gurney onto the rig. I jumped up and sat next to the patient. "I'll keep an eye on him until we get to the hospital" Soph closed the doors and then her and Alice jumped in the front, Alice was driving.

We got to the ER and after handing over the patient Mike said that he would stitch my cut up.

"Thanks Mike"

"Not a problem. Just go into curtain three and I'll be there in a couple of minutes"

Mike walked through the door "So, how did you cut yourself?"

"A cockatoo attacked me. Ahh" I cried as he infiltrated the wound with lidocaine to numb the area.

"Sorry" he was trying to keep a straight face.

"Go ahead and laugh" I told him.

"I'm sorry, but a cockatoo. You have to admit it's a little bit amusing"

"Yeah, I know. This was our first call today"

"I guess that means things can only get better" he smiled. "All done" he snapped off his gloves.

"Thanks again Mike"

"Any time"

….........................

After a few more runs we went back to the firehouse. We made our way to the kitchen and I saw Bella slicing some vegetables. I put my finger to my mouth, gesturing for Alice and Soph to be quiet. I crept up behind Bella, she was in a world of her own and completely unaware of me. I loved seeing how passionate she was about cooking. I wrapped my arms around her waist and she jumped , a little shriek escaping her lips. "Hi gorgeous" I kissed the back of her neck.

"Edward don't do that" she scolded me. "I've got a knife in my hand and could have cut you"

"Don't I get a hello kiss?" She turned around and kissed me on the lips softly at first and then more passionately as her hands became entangled in my hair, pulling me closer to her.

"Ahem, don't mind us" Alice piped up. I broke away from Bella and saw Alice and Soph giggling, when I turned back to Bella her cheeks were red.

"Now look what you've done" I shouted at Alice.

"Edward it's OK, I don't mind" Bella said to me.

"Yeah Edward, lighten up I was only having a bit of fun"

"They been like this all morning?" Bella asked Soph.

"Yeah, pretty much, I just ignore them most of the time"

"Good call" Bella smiled. "Edward be nice to your sister and Alice stop teasing your brother" she said, turning to face both of us. Just like that I felt like I was a ten year old boy again and my Mom was telling me off. By the look on Alice's face she must have felt much the same. We apologized to each other and then Alice went with Soph to the TV room, leaving Bella and I alone.

"That wouldn't be spaghetti bolognese that you're cooking would it?" I asked recognizing the ingredients that Bella had out on the counter.

"Might be" she shrugged her shoulders.

"I thought I had to eat what I was given and you wouldn't be making my favourite meal just because I would be here today" I smiled, I was leaning on the counter facing Bella.

"Maybe I was planning on cooking it today anyways and it has nothing to do with your being here"

"I love being able to see you whilst I'm working."

"Good, I like it too" she leaned over to me kissing me again.

"God, guys get a room" it was Soph talking now. "Edward we got to go, we've got a shout. Pregnant lady involved in MVA, fire are trying to get her out now" Alice came bustling through the kitchen, picking up her jacket on the way.

"OK, be there in a minute" I kissed Bella once more "Save me some bolognese" I smiled.

When we arrived at the scene of the accident I made my way to the pregnant woman whilst Alice and Soph tended to the victim of the other car. The woman was quiet and not making any purposeful movements. I crawled in through the window of the car so that I could check her vitals, she didn't have any! "How long until you get her out?" I asked the fire crew.

"Another ten minutes" one of them shouted back to me.

"Alice, I need you over here" I started CPR on the woman, she may be dead but there was still a chance for the baby as long as we kept the blood pumping round Mom's body.

"What do you need?" Alice asked

"I need you to do chest compressions whilst I breath into her mouth."

"Edward, she's dead" Alice stated the obvious.

"I know but there's still a chance for the baby" I explained.

"You've got ten minutes at most" As Alice was talking I blew air into the mother.

"I know, she should be out by then and I'll perform an emergency c-section in the back of the rig."

"But it's against protocol. We have rules to follow out here. Besides, when was the last time you even performed a c-section? You're not an OB Edward"

"As an emergency physician I'm trained to perform a c-section when the mother is dead" she gave me a disapproving look. "I'll take full responsibility if anything should go wrong"

"You didn't answer my question about the last time you did this" Alice pressed.

"It was back in med school" I admitted.

"Edward we can't do it it's too risky" she begged.

"I'm not going to let this baby die because of some stupid rules Alice" That's when the woman was freed from the car and we wheeled her into the back of the rig.

"Soph, you better get over here." She came running over to the ambulance.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I need to do an emergency c-section and I'm going to need both of you to assist me"

"You're what?" she said in disbelief.

"I'm going to need both of you to assist me" I stated.

"OK. What do you need me to do?" Soph asked.

"Right, I need you to take over CPR until I get the baby out, Alice get over here" she moved over so that she was sat opposite Soph, next to me. "When I say so I'm going to need you to use your hands to retract, can you do that?" I looked into her eyes, she said nothing "Alice, can you do that?" I reiterated.

"Yep" she nodded, as she took a gulp.

I grabbed a scalpel and made the first incision, sweat rolling down my face. Once I had cut through the skin I had to cut into the uterus. My hand began to shake, I took the scalpel away from the woman.

"Edward, are you all right?" Soph asked.

"I just need a minute" I said, taking a deep breath. I had to be careful with my next incision, if I went to deep I could end up cutting the baby. Having steadied my hand I made the next cut, praying that it wouldn't go too deep. "Now Alice, I need you to retract the uterus" she placed her hands either side of the incision and pulled back, some blood oozed onto the floor of the ambulance. I reached in and placed my hands around the baby, gently pulling it out from it's Mother's womb. "Come on give us a cry, please" I pleaded. When the baby started to cry it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, both Alice and Soph smiled in relief along with me.

"Here you go" Soph handed me a clamp for the umbilical cord. Once I had clamped it I cut the cord and handed the baby boy to Alice, who after checking his apgar bundled him up in a blanket.

"Nice work" Soph smiled, patting me on the shoulder before climbing out of the rig to go into the drivers seat. I leaned against the rig sighing a deep breath. Alice and I sat in the back with the baby and Mother as Soph drove to the hospital.

…............................................

We were back at the firehouse and I had been given orders to clean the rig. Apparently I made the mess so I could clean it up. As I was doing this, Bella came outside.

"Alice told me I could find you out here" she smiled, walking towards me.

"Hi" I smiled, stepping out from the ambulance. I gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" she asked, looking over my shoulder. That's when she came across all dizzy and blacked out momentarily.

"Bella, Bella. Are you OK? What is it? What's wrong?" I was holding her up, my hand stroking across her face, trying to rouse her.

"Sorry, I can't stomach the sight of blood" She must have vasovagled I thought to myself.

"Maybe I should take you back inside" I suggested.

"That's probably a good idea" she agreed. I placed my hand at the small of her back as we walked back inside.

Once inside I explained to Alice what had happened and asked if she could keep an eye on Bella while I finished my cleaning.

**A/N Medical jargon explained:**

**Intubated: Tube put into an airway to help a patient breath**

**CPR: CPR involves physical interventions to create artificial circulation through rhythmic pressing on the patient's chest to manually pump blood through the heart, called chest compressions, and usually also involves the rescuer exhaling into the patient (or using a device to simulate this) to inflate the lungs and pass oxygen in to the blood, called artificial respiration.[**

**Apgar: The ****Apgar score** was devised in 1952 by Dr. Virginia Apgar as a simple and repeatable method to quickly and summarily assess the health of newborn children immediately after childbirth.[1][2] Apgar was an anesthesiologist who developed the score in order to ascertain the effects of obstetric anesthesia on babies

**Vasovagled: **A **vasovagal episode** or **vasovagal response** or **vasovagal attack**[1] (also called **neurocardiogenic syncope**) is a malaise mediated by the vagus nerve. When it leads to fainting, it is called a **vasovagal syncope**, which is the most common type of fainting.

**Any more questions on medical jargon just ask. **


	36. Trouble

**A/N A little bit of a short one this time. Hope you like it :)**

Chapter 36.

**BPOV**

Edward and I had been happily married for five months now and my pregnancy had run smoothly without any problems. I only saw Esme in a professional capacity once a month now.I had gotten to a stage where I would allow Edward to speak to Jacob but I still couldn't see him myself. It was still too hard. I just wished that there was something I could do for Esme, she had been marvellous in my rehabilitation. I could never repay her for all of her kindness.

"Bella, come on hurry up. The shops are only going to be open for another eight hours and we have a lot to do" Alice groaned from the living room. She was dragging me shopping for baby stuff. Edward was lucky enough to be working meaning that he didn't have to endure this torture. I waddled out of the bedroom and over to Alice.

" Give me a break Alice, I am seven months pregnant you know?"

"Yes, I do know. That's why it's so important that we get cracking on buying a crib, stroller, babygrows. You only have two months left to go and what if you go into labour early. I can't believe that Edward and you haven't thought about any of this stuff. It's lucky you have me" she smirked.

"Yes, lucky me" I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" she asked, turning and giving me a sharp look.

"Nothing" I replied sweetly.

It was a struggle squeezing myself into Alice's Porsche. Don't ask me how but I managed it eventually. With Alice it was fashion first, with practicality coming a distant second. Liking fast cars seemed to run in the family. Since returning from vacation Edward had gone out and purchased his dream car, the Aston Martin Vanquish. He opted to drive his Volvo to work though which meant the Vanquish spent most of the time sat on his parent's driveway!

It only took ten minutes before Alice pulled into the parking lot and I was having to squeeze back out of the car. "Hurry up Bella" she said impatiently, tapping her foot.

"OK, jeeze" I huffed. I wished that Edward were here with me instead of Alice. Don't get me wrong I love Alice but sometimes she was a bit much to handle.

"Where should we go first?" she asked.

"I don't know" I shrugged my shoulders.

"Ooh, I know. Come with me" she grabbed hold of my hand and dragged me down the street.

…..................

"Bella, these are just too cute" Alice beamed. She was holding up a pair of pink booties. "You have to get them" she squealed.

"Alice, I don't know if I'm having a boy or a girl" I chuckled.

"I'll get them then" she was hardly able to contain her excitement at the prospect of buying something.

"Alice, what if I have a boy. I don't think he'll be very happy wearing pink booties" It was too late though she was already on her way over to the register to make her purchase.

"I checked with the sales assistant and you can return these if you have a boy" Alice smiled, holding her bag up in her left hand.

"OK" I shook my head at her.

"Just for the record I think you're going to have a girl"

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Just a hunch. Have you and Edward come up with any names yet?"

"No"

"Well you'd better hurry up and start thinking, not long to go now until the bambino is out. Isn't that right little one" she patted her hand on my stomach. "Whoa" Alice took her hand away in shock at having felt the baby kick.

"Must have heard it's Aunty Alice" I smiled. We laughed and made our way out of the shop and down the sidewalk to the next store.

…..........................

I had had enough of shopping, my back was killing me and we were making our way back to the car. Alice was laden down with shopping bags. She had brought herself a few new outfits and a couple of pairs of shoes. "No point wasting perfectly good shopping time" she had said to me.

We were talking about trivial things like what we could do for dinner tonight, Alice and Jasper were coming over to mine and Edward's. All of a sudden a man appeared from nowhere. "Give us your bags" he said, a glint of silver shining in his hand. I went to hand mine over to him. Alice stopped me.

"No" she said angrily.

"I said give me your bags" he moved the knife closer to Alice and I, moving it side to side. It came to lingering in front of me "I...said...give me the bags" he said through clenched teeth.

"Alice, just give him the bags" I pleaded with her.

**EPOV**

My cell beeped. It was a message from Bella 'Please save me xxx' I had once been unlucky enough to have endured shopping with Alice and so I was well aware of how she got when it came to clothes.

'Poor baby :( wish I could come rescue u but needed here at the hospital. C u later, love u xxxx' I replied.

I was supposed to have been off today but had come in when Mike had said that he was desperate as a few people had called in sick. I had agreed to go in as a favour to him. Since meeting Bella my relationship with Mike had really improved, we were actually working as a team now rather than me constantly pulling against him. I don't what it was but it's as if I changed when I met Bella and that change was for the better. Mike had even told me that I was a shoe-in for the attending slot next year.

It had been a relatively quiet shift for a Saturday and I only had thirty minutes left to go. I made my way to admit where Rosalie had just taken a call from the paramedics, they were five minutes out. The only thing we had been told is that it was a female stabbing victim and things weren't looking too good for her at the moment.

Rosalie and I were waiting outside on the rig "So how's married life treating you?" she asked.

"Five months in, no complaints" I smiled. I heard the sirens before I saw the red flashing lights.

Soph opened the door from the inside and began running the bullet, I didn't hear a word she said though as I was in shock. "Oh God Alice, what happened?" I asked.

**A/N Next chapter up tomorrow. **


	37. Misguided Ghosts

Chapter 37.

**BPOV**

"Edward, I'm so sorry" I ran over to him, flinging my arms around his shoulders. I don't know who the hug was for, him or me. There was so much blood, it was everywhere, my white top was now smeared red. I'm amazed that I hadn't blacked out, I had never seen so much blood before. Edward took a step away from me and looked me over.

"Bella are you hurt?" he said, his voice cracking as he spoke.

"No, I'm fine"

"But what about all the blood on you?" he inquired.

"It's all Alice's" I saw the water filling in his eyes. "Edward, I told her to just hand over the bags but she wouldn't listen to me, I begged her" I sobbed. He walked away and over to his sister.

"Let's get her straight into Trauma 1" he barked orders at Rosalie and the rest of his team.

I followed them like a lost little puppy dog. "Bella, you need to wait outside" he snapped at me, his voice as cold as ice. I had never seen Edward like this before, I put it down to the emotion of seeing his sister like this. I could only imagine what he was going through, I felt horrible and Alice wasn't even my sister!

Rosalie came outside "Come on Bella, I'm going to take you to the family room. You don't need to be watching this" her hand on my shoulder, she turned me away from the sight of Alice being worked on, tubes being put in her and the like.

"No, I want to stay" I replied vehemently.

"Bella, in your condition the stress could be too much for you. For your safety and the baby's I really must insist that you come with me" her voice was soft and silky, full of compassion.

"Has someone called Jasper? He should know what's happened, he would want to be by her side" Silent tears rolled down my cheek as I spoke. I don't think I had stopped crying since the mugger had first stabbed Alice. I dread to think what may have happened if the guy who had risked his life wrestling with the mugger hadn't turned up when he did.

"I'll go call him now" Rosalie said. As she left my side I travelled back to my spot outside where they were working on Alice. Edward looked as if he was barely holding things together. As accomplished a Doctor I knew him to be he shouldn't be involved in this case he would only do more harm than good. He was too close to Alice and couldn't remain impartial.

Rosalie came back from having called Jasper. "Rosalie, I think you need to go and get Mike" I said. After one quick look into the room she understood without me needing to explain.

Mike and Rosalie came running down the corridor and into the trauma room. After a heated exchange Edward came outside and grasped my hand so tightly that he was hurting me a little bit. Seeing the expression on his face as he watched them work on his sister I didn't have the heart to tell him. We stood there in silence, neither of us knowing what to say to the other.

"Coming through" Emmett hollered as he rushed past us and through the door.

"Edward, what's that?" I asked. Emmett had some sort of instrument in his hand and whatever it was, it didn't look good.

"That's so they can cut through her breastbone. Their going to crack her chest" a tear rolled down both his cheeks as he continued looking on, through the door. Whilst I didn't understand the medical expression it sounded like this was only done as a last resort, as if to confirm my thoughts as the door swung open when a nurse came rushing out the machine that monitored Alice's heart rate started going haywire and Mike had something that Edward called "internal paddles" in his hand and was trying to shock Alice's heart back into a stable rhythm.

That's when it happened, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach, the pain was so excruciating that I was doubled over.

"Bella what's wrong?" Edward asked.

"Ahh" I winced, moving my hand down to where I felt the pain. I felt something wet trickle onto my hand and sure enough when I brought my hand back up in view of my face there was blood on it, my blood!

"Oh god, Bella you're bleeding" Edward focused all his attention on me now, turning away from his sister. I came over all dizzy and knew it wouldn't be long before I blacked out.

"Bella, Bella stay with me" Edward was holding onto me, guiding me to the floor so that I wouldn't hurt myself. "Bella I need you to stay awake. Please God let them be okay" Edward's voice was muffled through his sobs. The last thing I remember hearing besides Edward's voice was the beeps of the machine merge into one. Then everything went black.


	38. How To Safe a Life

**A/N Warning this chapter has a lot of medical jargon. I will put explantion of terms at the end : )**

Chapter 38.

**EPOV**

Nothing could of prepared me for what was in that ambulance. I see people on deaths door brought into the ER everyday, sometimes they pull through and sometimes they don't. It's completely different when the people are your family and you love them.

I saw Alice first, I knew that Soph was talking to me and running over what injuries Alice had but I was in a state of shock and wasn't taking anything in. Once Alice had been wheeled out Bella jumped down and wrapped her arms around me "Edward, I'm so sorry" she cried. It took a few moments for my brain to register that there was blood covering her top. I walked away from her brace and unable to keep my voice steady I asked "Bella are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine" she answered, tears rolling down her cheek. Thank God for small favours I thought. I don't think I would have been able to continue to function if both my sister and wife had been brutally attacked!

"But what about all the blood on you?" I asked. If she wasn't hurt why did she have so much on her?

"It's all Alice's" she sounded distraught. All I wanted to do was to hug her and tell her that it would be OK but I couldn't, I had a job to do. It broke my heart that I couldn't comfort Bella in her time of need.

"Edward, I told her to just hand over the bags but she wouldn't listen to me, I begged her" she sobbed. It was the hardest thing I had ever had to do but I walked away from her and over to Alice

"Let's get her straight into Trauma 1" I said.

Bella followed us down the corridors, as the gurney burst through the doors to the trauma room I turned to face Bella and told her to wait outside. I was cold when I did it, I had to make sure that she would listen to me. It killed me to be so mean but I had to worry about Alice at the moment.

The team worked like clockwork, we took hold of the stretcher and on "1,2,3" moved Alice from Soph's gurney to ours. "Pulse is weak" I commented. "Spin a crit" I told Rosalie, who immediately got to work. Alice needed to be intubated "push accommodate and suxs" I ordered.

"Stab wound to the left neck and chest and two more to the belly, right and left upper quad" Eric, my resident said, doing a primary survey of Alice's injuries.

"Get me an 8.0 ET tube, get four units, hang two on the rapid infuser." I was having difficulty passing the ET tube "I need some cricoid pressure" Eric pushed on Alice's throat and I was able to pass the tube.

"Pulse ox is 83" Rosalie called across to me.

"Edward, look at this" Eric pointed to a deep gash on Alice.

"Tracheal laceration, we need to trache her. Where's surgery?" My voice broke, my eyes were prickling, tears threatening to spill out and down my cheek. Come on Edward, you have to keep it together and pull Alice through this. I wasn't entirely sure I could cope though.

That's when Rosalie came back into the room, bringing Mike with her. "Edward, I need you to step out" Mike said, his voice stern but at the same time full of compassion.

"I can handle this Mike. I'm fine I don't need to leave" I shouted back.

"Edward, you're too close to this case. Bella is outside, she needs you, go and be with her. Emmett's on his way down."

"Fine" I spat. If I hadn't looked towards the door and seen Bella's pale, tear-stained face I wouldn't be leaving without a fight.

"Hook up the thora-seal" Mike said. He had just inserted a chest tube into Alice and it was draining a steady stream of blood.

When I reached Bella I took a hold of her hand and squeezed. I hated having to be out here and watching. I should be in there working on Alice, helping to save her life. What if they couldn't save her I would never be able to forgive myself for leaving that room. Would I resent Bella for being the reason that I had left the room? I shouldn't be thinking like this I needed to think positively, Alice was strong and she would pull through this! She had to, she was going to be an Aunt.

"Coming through" Emmett rushed past us and into the Trauma room. I felt slightly relieved that he was there now. If anyone could save Alice it would be him. He was an excellent surgeon who never gave up. Within moments he had trached Alice. She wasn't out of the woods yet though. Emmett was brandishing a sternal saw in his hands, I knew what that meant.

"Edward, what's that?" Bella asked, curiously.

"That's so they can cut through her breastbone. Their going to crack her chest" I explained, a tear rolling down both my cheeks as we continued looking on, through the door. This was not a good sign at all. Usually when we have to crack someone's chest they don't make it. As if confirming my worst fears I heard Alice's heart monitor change from PEA to V-tach and right on cue Mike grabbed a hold of the internal paddles and began shocking Alice, trying to regain a regular rhythm.

I couldn't take it any longer I had to look away from that room and what was happening to Alice. Bella was doubled over. "Bella what's wrong?" I asked, worried that more had happened to her then she had let on.

"Ahh" she screamed, wrenching her hand from mine, and moving it to herself. When she lifted her hand back up, it was red with her blood.

"Oh God, Bella you're bleeding" I cried out in panic. I focused all my attention on her now. I was still worrying about Alice but she had good Doctor's looking after her. "Bella, Bella stay with me" I held on to her as she slipped into unconsciousness. "Bella, I need you to stay awake. Please God let them be okay" I sobbed. I couldn't lose either of them let alone both.

**MPOV**

As soon as I entered the room I knew that Rosalie had been right to call me in on this case. After a bit of convincing I got Edward to leave the room.

Emmett had come down and was traching Alice "Get ready to bag her" he instructed Eric.

"I've got good breath sounds" I said, having used my stethoscope to listen to Alice's chest.

"How much has she lost?" Emmett inquired.

"400 in the thora-seal and who knows how much in the field" I answered.

"Wound looks deep. How long was the blade?"

"I don't know"

"Pressures down to 60" Rosalie shouted out.

"She needs volume now"

"Maybe not" Emmett interjected. "Could be tamponade, open a thoracotomy tray"

"Check her CVP" I suggested, not convinced we were there yet.

"Too late, lost her pulse. We're in PEA, starting compressions" Eric said, standing up on the rail of the gurney in order to exert more pressure whilst compressing Alice's chest.

"We need to crack her chest, amp of epi, sterile gloves please" Emmett ordered. "Ten blade" I handed the instrument to him, he used it to make a vertical incision along the chest wall. I handed him the sternal saw and he cut through the breastbone.

"Sats are down to 85" Rosalie read.

"Rib spreader" Emmett made quick work of opening up Alice's chest.

"V – fib" It was Eric, keeping an eye on Alice's heart monitor.

"Internal compressions" I used my hands to massage her heart, trying to bring it back into a stable rhythm. "There is an effusion, pericardium is open, we've got a major haemorrhage here"

"More suction" Emmett requested. "I need 4.0 prolene on a rb1 needle now"

At the same time Emmett and I were working on the heart Eric was using the ultrasound to look for internal injuries. "Lot of blood in the belly, probably got the spleen. We've got to cross clamp the aorta?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"One thing at a time" Emmett said, concentrating on what he was doing. "Auto transfuse from the cell saver" he suggested.

"Charge the paddles to 15" I said. "Clear" I shouted before shocking Alice.

"Still in v-fib" Eric called.

"Another amp of epi. Clear" I shocked her again this time we got sinus tach.

"Check the pressure, get a portable monitor, we're moving her to the OR now" Emmett stressed.

"Hang the other units" I said.

"Pulse ox 92, pressure 90 systolic" Rosalie informed us.

"Is she making urine?" I asked.

"Only 50 cc's in the foley" Eric replied.

"It's better than nothing"

"Call the OR, tell them we have an open chest, will need a laparotomy" Emmett said as we were wheeling Alice out to the corridor.

"Still waiting on type specific" Rosalie shouted, following us.

"Have the blood bank send it upstairs. You putting her on bypass?" I asked Emmett.

"I don't know, have a perfusionist standing by" then the elevator doors closed and they were on their way upstairs. I just hoped that it had been caught in time for Alice to be saved. I went back to inform Edward of Alice's care. That's when I noticed he and Bella weren't there! I guess I had been so preoccupied with getting Alice to the OR I hadn't noticed their absence a few minutes ago. I saw the pool of blood on the floor and knew that something had to be wrong with Bella.

**Medical Terminology : **

** Suxs: ****Suxamethonium chloride** (also known as **succinylcholine**) is a medication used to induce muscle relaxation, usually to make endotracheal intubation possible. Suxamethonium is sold under the trade names **Anectine** and **Scoline**.

**Spin a crit: They would have taken some blood and put it in a machine called a centtrifuge. This spins the blood sample really fast and separates the blood into two parts--the liquid plasma and the cells, both white and red. red blood cells are those that carry oxygen, so i believe a low crit is dangerous because there is decreased ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the cells.**

**ET tube: Endotracheal tube**

**Rapid Infuser: the rapid infuser is a device that warms fluids or blood products and delivers them, using pressure, very rapidly. It's for when your patient needs that volume and/or blood about twenty minutes ago. It is how you keep up when your patient is bleeding out-- treading water while trying to identify, pinpoint the location, and hopefully fix the problem.  
**

**Cricoid Pressure: This involves digital pressure against the cricoid cartilage of the larynx, pushing it backwards. The oesophagus is thus compressed between the posterior aspect of the cricoid and the vertebrae behind. The cricoid is used because it forms the only complete ring of the larynx and trachea. **

**Trache:****Tracheotomy** and **tracheostomy** are surgical procedures on the neck to open a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (the windpipe). They are performed by paramedics, veterinarians, emergency physicians and surgeons. Both surgical and percutaneous techniques are now widely used.

**Thora-seal: THORA-SEAL™ III Chest Drainage Unit (CDU) is a wet suction chest drainage unit used to reestablish normal lung function.**

**PEA: Pulsless Electrical Activity**

**V-Tach: Ventricular Tachycardia**

**Tamponade: **

**Cardiac tamponade**, also known as **pericardial tamponade**, is an emergency condition in which fluid accumulates in the pericardium (the sac in which the heart is enclosed). If the fluid significantly elevates the pressure on the heart it will prevent the heart's ventricles from filling properly. This in turn leads to a low stroke volume. The end result is ineffective pumping of blood, shock, and often death.

**Thoracotomy: ****Thoracotomy** is an incision into the pleural space of the chest.[1] It is performed by a surgeon, and, rarely, by emergency physicians, to gain access to the thoracic organs, most commonly the heart, the lungs, the esophagus or thoracic aorta, or for access to the anterior spine such as is necessary for access to tumors in the spine

**CVP: Central Venous Pressure**

**Effusion: Build up of fluid**

**Sats: Oxygen Saturations**

**Autotransfuse: Autotransfusion is an established technique for the collection and subsequent reinfusion of the patient's own blood. It not only prevents transmission of diseases but also avoids immunological complications of homologous transfusion. Autotransfusion permits greater flexibility in the use of blood bank supply.**

****

A **perfusionist**, also known as a **clinical perfusionist**, is a trained health professional who operates the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery and other surgeries that require cardiopulmonary bypass

A/N Like I said lots of medical terminology (hope it didn't ruin your enjoyment of the story) Next chapter up tomorrow. Only 2 left now :(


	39. Angel

Chapter 39.

**BPOV**

I woke up to find myself on a gurney, Edward was at my side "What happened?" I asked. I was feeling a little groggy.

"You had a bleed and passed out" he tenderly explained, grabbing my hand and brushing his lips over the back of it.

"What about the baby?" I panicked.

"The baby is doing fine, but we need to keep a close eye on you. Bella, you are at high risk of having had what's called a placental abruption. The guy that stabbed Alice, is there any chance he could of hurt you?" he asked, with gritted teeth.

"No" I said. "Wait, he pushed me to the ground and I hit my stomach" my eyes were becoming wet as I worried about the damage that may have been caused by today's events.

"We're going to send you up to OB and their going to give steroids to help develop the babies lungs" he spoke softly now.

"What? Why?" I asked, sitting bolt upright.

Edward gently pushed me back down. "If you have suffered a placental abruption then we will need to deliver the baby as soon as possible"

"It's too early" I cried. Edward bent down, kissing my forehead.

"It's just a precaution" he explained. They came to wheel me upstairs. Edward stood up "I'm coming with you" he explained after my puzzled look.

"No Edward, I'll be fine. You should go and find out about Alice, see how she's doing. Having seen what I had I couldn't help but worry about her. She couldn't die, I loved her too much. "Edward, has anyone told your parents about what's going on?"

"Their on vacation and I don't want to spoil it for them" he said somberley.

"I think you need to call them. I know if it was me I would rather know. What if she doesn't make it and they weren't here to say goodbye"

"You're right. They would never forgive me and I would never forgive myself" he kissed me and walked down the hall to make what would be the toughest phone call of his life thus far.

**EPOV**

I went back to Trauma 1 to find out what was happening with Alice. When I got there it was empty, for a split second I was dead inside as I thought that the worst may have happened.

"Edward over here" it was Jasper calling and he was standing next to Mike. When I reached them Jasper gave me a small smile, he was putting on a brave face. It was more than what I was able to manage at the moment. Not only was I worrying about Alice but I was scared about Bella and our baby, I had asked to be paged if anything occurred. As soon as I knew Alice was OK I would run up to OB to be with Bella.

"Maybe you two should sit down" Mike suggested, we did as he said and listened to him explain about how they had had to crack Alice's chest and that she was now up in the OR and Emmett was operating on her. He offered for us to go upstairs into the observation room. Jasper took him up on his offer but I declined, knowing that I couldn't do anything for her. Instead I opted to go back to Bella and make sure she was doing OK.

I knocked on the door before entering. "Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked.

"Tired" she replied, even after all of today's events she was still able to smile and light up a room.

"But other than that you're doing OK?"

"Yeah"

"How's Alice?" she asked.

"She's alive" I nervously smiled. "Emmett's working on her in surgery, there's still a ways to go but she pulled through the worst part"

"Good. Did you call your parents?"

"Yes, their on their way" When I was on the phone to Dad he told me that I had made the right decision in telling them. I had told them it was Bella who had convinced me to call.

"Ahh, oh my God" Bella screamed as she bent over. "I think my waters just broke"

I knew otherwise. I lifted her sheet to find that my assumption was correct. "Get on your left side" I instructed her.

Victoria her OB rushed in. "What happened?"

"Sharp pain, gush of blood"

"OK Bella, we're going to take you to the OR and perform a C-section" she was being wheeled along the hall.

"Edward, what's happening?" her face was full of fear.

"It's what we were afraid of. You've had a placental abruption and we need to get the baby out. Don't worry you won't feel anything they'll give you a general anaesthetic." He kissed me on the lips, trying to calm my nerves.

"Are you going to be in there?" She was holding my hand.

"Of course sweetheart" I looked at Victoria who gave me a nod in affirmation that I could go into the OR, if I didn't work here they probably wouldn't have allowed it.

While Bella was being put under I quickly changed into a pair of scrubs. Bella was just falling asleep when I walked into the OR. I took hold of her hand in mine, after fluttering her eyelids a few times she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Eleven minutes later our baby had arrived. She was a beautiful baby girl. Something was wrong, she wasn't crying. I left Bella's side and walked over to where a team from the NICU were working on my little girl.

"One minute apgar is 3" This was not good, they had to intubate her, she looked so little and fragile.

"Come on baby girl" I whispered, praying that she would be OK. I broke down into tears, all my strength gone due to everything that had gone on in the last hour or so.

"Five minute apgar 7" It wasn't perfect but it was much better than originally. "Let's get ready to move her to the NICU" I was torn, should I stay with Bella or go with the baby?

"Go be with your baby Edward, we'll page you when Bella wakes up" Victoria said.

"Thank you" I replied, full of gratitude.

I went with my girl in the elevator, up to the sixth floor where the NICU was situated.

I was watching over my baby girl. I hated seeing her in the incubator hooked up to a ventilator, wires all over her. From the moment Bella had told me that she was pregnant this had been one of my worst fears, that something would go wrong and our baby would be born premature and have many problems to endure. We hadn't even decided upon a name yet.

I was brought out of my reverie when someone placed their hand on my shoulder, I jumped in shock.

"Sorry Edward, I didn't mean to startle you" Rosalie said softly.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Alice, she's out of surgery. It went well Edward, Emmett was able to repair the laceration to her proximal aorta. He did have to remove her spleen, but she can live without it" she smiled.

"What a relief" I said, hugging her. Finally, some good news. I glanced at my pager, no new pages. Bella should be out of surgery soon. "Is she awake?" I asked, my thoughts returning to Alice.

"She's still in recovery at the moment. It shouldn't be too long though if you want to go see her"

"I can't leave my baby girl though" I explained, looking down at her in the incubator.

"It's OK I'll watch over her" Rosalie offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm off anyways"

"Thanks" I started to walk away.

"Oh and Edward. She's beautiful. Congratulations" I could see how smitten Rosalie already was with her.

I smiled my thanks.

When I got to the waiting room Jasper was sat there with Mom and Dad. "How's Bella and the baby?" Mom asked.

"Bella's in recovery and the baby is up in the NICU" I replied.

"Honey, how are you doing?" Mom rubbed her hand on my shoulder.

"Coping, considering what I've been through" I sighed. "How's Alice?" I asked.

"Just waiting for her to wake up" Jasper said. Everytime there was some noise in the hall he lifted his head in expectation of someone walking in and telling us that she was awake. I knew then that we would allow Jasper to see her first. I could see the worry on his face and his eyes. I knew how much he cared for her and I was glad that Emmett had saved her life.

"Mom, Dad I'm so sorry that your vacation got ruined" I apologized.

"Don't be silly" Dad said. "We're just glad that everybody is OK"

My pager went off, Bella was awake.

"What is it son?" Dad asked.

"Bella's out of surgery and awake" I wanted to go and see her but at the same time I wanted to see Alice as well. I was torn as to what I should do.

"Edward, you should go to your wife" Jasper implored me.

"Thanks" I said, patting him on his shoulder. "Tell Alice hi from me"

…..........................

"How are you?" I asked Bella, then I kissed her forehead.

"A little groggy and sore but other than that I'm fine. How's our baby?" she asked.

"She's beautiful, takes after you. They're taking care of her up in the NICU. Apart from being on a ventilator she's doing well though" I smiled.

"We had a baby girl!" She smiled. "I wish I could go see her. They say I can't go until tomorrow though" she looked sad.

"You'll see her soon enough" I kissed her on the lips. "I suppose we should think of a name for her"

"I've already been thinking about that and I've kind of got an idea for what I would like to call her"

"What is it?"

"Renesmee. I named her after my Mom and yours" she explained.

"I like Renesmee, I also like how you came up with her name. Mom is going to be really flattered that our child is named after her" I smiled.

"She's done so much for me these past few months and I can't do anything to repay her for all her kindness. Maybe this will be a good start."

"I love you so much right now Bella"

"I love you too"

"I should go. You need to get some rest" I made to leave when Bella called me back.

"Edward, can you just stay until I fall asleep?"

"Of course" I settled back down into the chair and waited for her to peacefully drift off to sleep.

…....................................................

After spending a few hours with Renesmee, Bella and I went to visit Alice. Jasper was visiting her when we arrived. "I'm just going to get some coffee" he kissed Alice goodbye.

"OK sweetie" she was a little groggy from all the pain meds that she was on.

"Thanks man" I whispered as Jasper walked past us.

"How are you Alice?" Bella asked.

"A little sore and feeling pretty lucky right about now. How about you and the baby. I'm sorry I put you in that situation Bella"

"Don't be silly" Bella smiled, patting Alice's hand.

"Edward" Alice called.

"I'm right here" I said.

"Good. I'm sorry"

"You don't have anything to be sorry about" I said softly. "Alice, you're an Aunt now" I smiled.

"You had the baby" her mouth turned up into a smile.

"Yes" Bella answered proudly. "We have a beautiful little girl, you were right"

"I told you" she smiled back.

"We've called her Renesmee" Bella said.

"Can I see her?"

"No, she's in the NICU. I've got a photo though" I pulled out the picture that I had taken this morning.

"She's beautiful" Alice traced her outline on the photo. Then Alice began to cry.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked.

"I'm not going to see the baby" Alice sobbed.

"Of course you are. Just not right now" I replied softly. I could only assume she was feeling like this because of the drugs that she was on.

Jasper came back and Bella and I left him and Alice alone.

**A/N Hope that has answered the cliffie questions. Only 1 chapter left to go now. **

**Medical Terminology:**

**Placental Abruption: ****Placental abruption** (also known as **abruptio placentae**) is an obstetric catastrophe (complication of pregnancy), wherein the placental lining has separated from the uterus of the mother. It is the most common cause of late pregnancy bleeding.


	40. Butterflies and Hurricanes

**A/N This is the final chapter :(. I would like to take this time to thank all of you for sticking with the story and hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Big shout out to Everclearbabe and Sophieisapickle for being my unoffocial betas. **

**Get your tissues ready, this chapter will be sad.**

Chapter 40.

**EPOV**

When I woke up on the morning of Tuesday 13th October it was like any other morning. I had a shower, got dressed, made some toast and headed off to work. Bella was staying at the hospital, I was unable to convince her to leave Renesmee's side, I knew she had to be exhausted but the best I could get was for her to join me at the Jumbo Mart for an early morning coffee.

It had been a week since Alice's stabbing and Bella's placental abruption. I was back at work and Alice would be discharged any day now. Although Renesmee was still in the NICU she was improving each and every day. I couldn't wait to bring my gorgeous little girl home, every night this week after work and spending a couple of hours in the NICU I went home and worked on the nursery, I had painted the walls pink and was working on building a crib. I was having some trouble with the crib and I still wanted to stencil the walls, I just hoped it would be ready in time. I hadn't told Bella about what I had been doing – I wanted it to be a surprise ( I think she will overlook her hate of surprises this time)

I pulled the Volvo into my usual spot and rushed up to the NICU. In the elevator I bumped into Mike "Edward, I'm glad I bumped into you. Have you got time for a chat?" he knew that I wasn't due to start work for another forty five minutes.

"Umm, not right now. Can I catch up with you later?" I said with a sense of trepidation.

"Sure" he said, full of understanding. "How's the little one?" he smiled as he asked the question.

"She's doing great. I don't think it will be too much longer and we'll be taking her home" I beamed like the proud Dad that I was.

"That's great news, and Bella she's doing well?"

"Yes, thanks for asking"

"No problem. Come find me later" he left the elevator and left me to travel the two more floors to the NICU.

"How are my two favourite girls?" I asked, planting a kiss on Bella's forehead and staring lovingly at my baby girl.

"We're fine" Bella smiled. "They're talking about discharging her today" she smiled.

"Hear that baby girl. You're going to be coming home today" I gently stroked her cheek with my index finger. "Ready to get some coffee?" I turned to face Bella.

"Yep" she stood up, kissed Renesmee's forehead and we walked out, my arm wrapped around Bella's shoulder.

"Back in five" I called out to the nurse. She waved in acknowledgement.

As we sipped on our coffee I told Bella that I had bumped into Mike and how he wanted me to see him for some reason. I told her about my worries and she tried to reassure me that I was most probably making a mountain out of a molehill and that he probably just wanted to check that I was OK.

Five minutes later we walked back, hand in hand. I glanced at my watch, I only had another ten minutes to spend with my girls. It was the worst part of my day having to say goodbye to them. My heart leaped into the back of my throat as I went through the door. Two doctors and a nurse were huddled around Renesmee, one of the Doctor's was intubating her.

Bella and I rushed to her side "What's going on?" I shouted, unable to remain calm.

"Your daughter is having trouble breathing , that's why we're having to put the breathing tube back in. We think she may have developed sepsis" came the reply.

"Edward, I don't understand. She was fine this morning, we were meant to be taking her home" Bella cried.

"Shh. It's just a minor setback" I spoke calmly as I hugged Bella. I just hoped that she believed my lie. I hated lying to her but I couldn't stand to see her upset and I didn't want to make the pain any worse unless I really had too. I knew all too well the risks associated with sepsis in a baby. All I could do was hug Bella with all my might and try to soothe her as the team worked on our daughter.

It pained me to leave Bella but I had to go find Mike and ask if he could manage without me for the day. "Bella, sweetie" I said softly. "I have to go and find Mike" I explained. "I'll be back as soon as I can" I kissed her on the lips, pouring all my love for her into that one kiss. "Daddy will be back soon" I kissed the top of Renesmee's head.

"Rosalie, where's Mike?" I called.

"Curtain three" she shouted back.

"Mike, have you got a minute?" I asked, praying that he could have one of the residents finish up with his patient.

"Can this wait?" he asked.

I shook my head, "Not really"

"OK. Go to the lounge and I'll see you in two" he said.

Two minutes later Mike, walked through the door. "What's up?" he must have known something was wrong by the tone of my voice.

"Can you manage without me today?" I said quietly.

"Edward, I told you to take some time off. I don't know whether I can get some one in to cover now" my heart sank at the realization that I would have to work my shift and couldn't be there to comfort Bella.

"Why do you want the day off anyways?" he questioned.

"It's Renesmee. They think she's got sepsis" I felt my eyes prickling with tears.

"Edward, I'm so sorry. Take the day off we'll find some way to cope" he said apologetically.

"Are you sure?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"Yes. I know this isn't the best time but while I've got you here I just wanted to say you got the attending position"

"Really?"

"Yes really. Congratulations" he shook my hand.

I knew I should be happy and celebrating getting the job I had been working towards, but I couldn't not until my little girl had recovered. I started to leave the lounge.

"Edward" Mike called. I turned to face him "My thoughts are with you all" I nodded my head in thanks.

"Edward, hold the elevator" It was Jasper. I did as he asked. "Thanks man" he said, slightly out of breath from his short run. "Alice is being discharged today" he beamed.

"That's great" I accompanied this with a weak smile.

"You could sound a little bit enthusiastic" he scolded me.

"Sorry Jazz. I'm made up that Alice is being discharged I am. It's just I've got some things on my mind today"

"Want to talk about it?" he inquired.

"Not right now" I replied. Having known Jasper since I was a kid I knew that he wouldn't push and I was grateful for that..

As Jasper stepped out the elevator I told him "Tell Alice I'll try to pop by and see her at home some time this week"

"Sure thing" he replied.

I didn't think it was possible for things to get any worse but they had. "Edward" Bella rushed over to me, sobbing.

"What is it?" I asked, tilting her head towards me.

"Their taking Renesmee to the OR" she cried.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. Something about her intestines perfed" she sobbed into my chest.

As they wheeled Renesmee past us I said "I want to be in the OR with her"

"I'm sorry Edward but you can't. If you want you can watch from the observation deck"

"Fine" I seethed. "Bella, do you want to come with me?" I knew the answer before she said it.

"Yes" she sniffled.

I paced the length of the room as I waited for Emmett and the other surgeons to open up my beautiful little girl and save her life. Bella was sat in the chair silently sobbing her last tears. I wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. I walked over to her and rested my hand on her shoulder. She only just had the strength to raise her hand and take hold of mine.

The intercom was on so that we could hear what the surgeons were saying and ask questions if we so desired. Emmett's solemn voice filled the room, "Edward, I'm sorry the bowel is completely infarcted, we're closing"

It felt as if the walls were closing around me and I couldn't breathe. I had to get out of that room. "Bella, I'll be back soon" I was on the verge of tears but I held them back for Bella's sake.

I walked out, into the hallway. Behind the double doors I could just make out the figure of my father. As he walked closer he opened his arms and I collapsed into them. I couldn't hold my emotions back any longer. All my grief came pouring out of me as my Dad hugged me. "It's OK son. Its OK" he said in a sombre tone.

Just after Dad had left Bella walked out from the observation room looking for me. She must have caught sight of my red rimmed eyes. "Edward, what's wrong?"

"I think we should sit down" I walked her over to the chairs in the waiting room, no one else was there at least.

"Edward, you're scaring me" that was the last thing I wanted to do. I knew that there would be no easy way to do this.

"Bella. They couldn't fix the problem with Renesmee" she started to cry which set me off again.

"Is our daughter going to die?" she sobbed. I nodded 'yes' and rested my head on hers as I let the tears flow, unable to be the strong one anymore. Bella wrapped her arms around me and we sat their sobbing together.

They were going to let us sit and hold Renesmee for the last one or two hours of her life. They took out the tube and wrapped her in a blanket and then brought her to us. We were sat on a sofa in a waiting room. The Doctor handed Bella our daughter and we sat their as a family. Bella and I sobbing until we had no more tears left to cry and our baby girl looked at peace, as if she were asleep. It only took an hour before Renesmee took her last breath and then left this world.

**THE END.**

**A/N I hope you don't all hate me for what I did to Renesmee.**

**Depending on how many people ask me to do it I will write a sequel to Graveyard Shift. It may not be until next year though as am rather busy as hockey season is on at the moment. So if you want a sequel let me know. Thanks again for sticking with this story.**

**Medical Terminology:**

**Perforated: ****Gastrointestinal perforation** is a complete penetration of the wall of the stomach, small intestine or large bowel, resulting in intestinal contents flowing into the abdominal cavity

**Sepsis: ****Sepsis** is a serious medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state (called a systemic inflammatory response syndrome or SIRS) and the presence of a known or suspected infection

**Infarcted: In medicine, an ****infarction** is the process of tissue death (necrosis) caused by blockage of the tissue's blood supply.


	41. Graveyard Shift Part 2

**Hi Guys, well I've finally started it Graveyard Shift Part 2's first chapter is now up on the site below is a small exceprt from the chapter. Please go and take a look at the new story. Thanks :D **

**EPOV**

"Hi Alice, it's Edward can you come over here please?"

"Sure, why?"

"It's Bella. I think she needs a bit more help today than I can give her" I said sombrely.

"OK, I'll be there in ten" she rang off.

I put the phone back in the cradle and walked into what would have been _her _nursery. I still couldn't say or think my daughter's name yet, the pain was still to real and deep. Bella was stood in her pyjamas hovering over the crib, rocking it backwards and forwards and softly singing a lullaby.

"Bella, sweetheart. Alice is going to be coming over soon so you may want to go have a shower before she gets here"

"Shh, Edward. Don't wake her" she whispered as she looked lovingly down into the empty crib. I sighed in remorse, today was going to be awful for Bella. I was going to have to watch her relive the pain of losing our child all over again. Ever since that day Bella had been in denial and was living as if our sweet little girl had come home with us. Esme said something about it being a defence mechanism, Bella's brain trying to protect her from the unbearable loss she had encountered.


End file.
